The dismissal of Mbeki from office was foretold in 1999

In an article written by Don Makatile and published by Drum magazine in 1999, Credo Mutwa, our own Nostradamus, predicted that Thabo Mbeki would not finish his term in office. The sceptics in us probably dismissed Mutwa’s foresight as incredible and pure inventions of a senile mind when he had relayed his visions.

Mutwa informed Makatile at the time that he had before been called senile and dismissed as a prophet of doom. He stated that shortly after wrote a poem The Bloodstained Flag in 1963, the US President, John F Kennedy was assassinated; that he had warned Hendrik Verwoerd that he saw a bayonet hanging over his head, but the apartheid architect dismissed the incredible Mutwa’s vision as nonsense, saying only blacks died by knives. We all know that the parliamentary messenger, Dimitri Tsafendas in one afternoon in 1996 briskly walked across the floor of the House of Assembly to Verwoerd as he was to take his seat, and bravely assisted the architect of apartheid have an early meeting with his creator.

He is said to have told a sangoma before the dawn of our democracy that “a great African is going to die on April 10 1994.” On April 10 1993, a year earlier the secretary general of the SACP, Chris Hani was shot and killed by a Polish emigrant Janusz Walus, almost plunging the country into anarchy. Nelson Mandela demonstrated decisive leadership during those trying times and calmed the masses of black people who seething with furious anger.

Mutwa said, “He (Mbeki) will be remembered by coming generations for having ruled during a particular turbulent part of our country’s history….he will have to use all his wisdom, sometimes his ruthlessness, to deal with what is coming.”

The occurrence of succession of events over the past nine years appear to have been a revelation of the predictions of Sanusi Credo Mutwa that indeed Mbeki’s term was not to be an easy one. The manner in which he is accused to have dealt with his detractors appear to be closely aligned with Mutwa’s prophecies. He has in some measure been ruthless in dealing with those who sought to undermine and derail his cause.

Mutwa went on to say, “As we speak three great people are in danger. I won’t say who they are but suffice to say one is white and two are black. One is in political trouble, the other for telling the truth; the last will be involved in a terrible accident.” Who was Mutwa referring to? Was he referring to Mbeki being in political trouble? Who told the truth? Could this be Lekota? Who is this white man? Who is going to suffer such terrible fate? The breakaway of senior members of the ANC and a formation of a new political party would perhaps unravel these great mysteries.

When Bantu Holomisa was expelled and formed the United Democratic Movement (UDM), members of his party met violent resistance from their opponents. The controversial Sifiso Nkabinde, who was secretary general of the UDM, was subsequently assassinated in Richmond in 1999. The revolutionary rhetoric of the ANC and growing intolerance to criticism and opposition indicate that therein rest a problem that may visit us in the run-up to the 2009 general elections. ANC conferences exposed hooliganism and thuggery that characterised senior leadership of the ANC. Resorting to violent tactics in order to contain the political offensive of the anticipated breakaway party remains a not so distant possibility.

“I cannot see the whole of Mbeki’s term of office. I don’t know why, maybe I wont’ live long enough to see the rest of it,” said the Sanusi Mutwa. The ANC cowardly launched a coup in the middle of the night and removed Thabo Mbeki from office. The repercussions of this gross miscalculation have proved devastating for the ANC. The party is in disarray and in apocalyptic decline. The prophecies of Reverend Kangaman, that his party would rule until Jesus returns are proving daily to have been utter rubbish; that the gift of foresight is something he was endowed with, among many other things.

What we need is for the ANC to stop behaving like freemasons whose activities were clouded in secrecy. Jacob Zuma, without even being embarrassed, stated his unwillingness to debate issues on national interest in public. Helen Zille challenged him to a public debate, which he declined. Former President Mbeki also challenged him to debate issues that resulted in his removal from office, but the man who expect to be President again refused stating that these issues were private and not for public consumption. I was of the naïve opinion that a removal of president from office was of national interest and reasons for the removal are of public consumption. What would be so secretive about these reasons that the nation is deprived full knowledge of? Are we expected to naively trust the motives behind decisions taken by the ANC if we are not informed of reasons behind them?

Jacob Zuma needs to tell us voters why we should be voting for him in 2009; and a public debate is a desirable platform for any presidential hopeful to convince us voters how deserving they are of our votes. What is Zuma scared of? Is he afraid he may be exposed as not worthy of the position he assumes to be hereditary? The US presidential debates have been most fascinating in that they offer voters access to the thinking of a person running for President. What Zuma and the ANC offer us are rehearsed garbage that is not open to intense interrogations and cheats voters from making informed decisions.

Sanusi Mutwa had premonitions about occurrences of a number of issues which materialised; and what arouses much curiosity is whether the reliable Sanusi foresee the dishonourable reverend dressed in bright orange overalls leading a gang of 26s or 28s in prison. Interesting and perhaps terrifying times, depending on which of the fence you stand, lie ahead of us. What we witness unravel before us may be unimaginable prophecies that we lacked sufficient knowledge of. The curtain has fallen behind Thabo Mbeki and the stage is open for protagonists and antagonists to perform their lead roles in the captivating political drama we are an enthralled audience to.