Cope should put Moeletsi Mbeki forward as presidential candidate

Over the weekend we were treated to speculation regarding the candidates which the Congress of the People (Cope) will put forward for the office of president. The Cope president Mosiuoa Lekota will not per se become the party’s nomination for the top post with his first deputy Mbhazima Shilowa and possibly even former president Thabo Mbeki’s deputy Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcukastepping into the frame as well.

While there is nothing wrong with any of the candidates set out above, given the choice of any South African that I would like to see as our next president, Mbeki’s brother Moeletsi Mbeki would be my number one pick.

This other son of former ANC leader Govan Mbeki certainly has the right credentials and would be nobody’s manipulated figurehead as his past conduct has clearly demonstrated. Moeletsi is a journalist, political economist and analyst, the deputy chairperson of the South African Institute of International Affairs and perhaps Thabo’s fiercest critic when it comes to key areas like Zimbabwe.

Indeed he has been so outspoken that he even cracked the Snuki Zikalala blacklist — a badge of honour to be worn with pride if ever I saw one.

Yet it is his knowledge with regard to economics both local and global, his refusal to pander to the elite and his grasp of what is required to balance the needs of all levels of South African society, more than his courage and speaking truth to power, which makes him stand out.

Here is a candidate who understands how local and international politics work and who is capable of diplomatically prising us away from the elitist dead end that is currently African politics and remaking us as a reliable partner for the global community. With his knowledge of economics and specifically African economics within the global context, he would achieve this while extracting maximum benefit for our assuming this new role.

Currently we are viewed as everything from a regional power to a rogue democracy. We are a short hop, skimp and jump away from taking up our rightful place on the world stage provided we consistently start doing the right things. In Moeletsi, I believe, the planet would have a good man in Africa.

Cope would have a leader of integrity and someone who would give all other parties good reason to pause. Someone who would raise the bar and ensure that parties give careful consideration as to the person they nominate as their presidential candidate.