President Mbeki have to step down end of 2008. The last year various wanna-bees have tentatively and directly put their names forward to become the 3’rd President of the post-Apartheid South Africa.
Thus far Mbeki has indicated that he would prefer a woman. Various reasons mooted:
He wants to remain the President of the ANC and a man as President of the country might not like another man holding a position in reality higher than himself. As President of the ANC, Mbeki will be able to hire and fire the President depending how he can influence the ANC.
Mbeki will be considered as her mentor by the woman since she will be deeply indebted to him. She will therefor often refer to him on various issues Mbeki wants not to change, for example certain of Mbeki’s mistakes like the fight on Aids, soft handling of Mugabe, etc.
Unfortunately for Mbeki the previous Vice-President Zuma, with a huge following among the more militant and workers, have clearly announced that he expects to become President. Zuma was deposed as Vice-P when he was implicated in the rape charge. He has been subsequently found “not guilty” and since then his followers have insisted that he be reinstated.
Zuma has openly clashed with Mbeki and his followers. Zuma is also implicated in a fraud scam where his goodwill was purchased by a bidder for government defence force contracts. His friend in the fraud was found guilty and today his appeal was turned down. Shabir Shaik will have to spend 15 years behind bars. The state will now have to charge Zuma as well.
Other people that have indicated that they are prepared for the job are Cyril Ramaphosa, Lekota, and various others. I suspect that Nelson Mandela might suport Lekota’s running.
The best person for the job can’t run as he is too white, namely Trevor Manual the Finance Minister who has put South Africa’s finances in the best position it might ever have been by routing out corruption and insisting on deliverance on promises. In his absence, I would want Lekota.
Well, i see a lot of South Afrcans mainly whites storming middle east in last 2 years. They have opened lot of schools as well. Are white south Africans leaving the country?
Yes, there are reports that about 1 mil. have left RSA. Some will come back but many emigrate permanently.
The problem they face is the racist “transformation” policy of the government. Quotas are put in place in business, sport, and other spheres. Old people are retrenched and can’t find employment again, young people can’t get bursaries or work because of their skin colour. According to the law Indians (including Pakistanis and Arabs), Coloureds (people of mixed race) are included in the group to be benefitted but lately even they are being discriminated against.
Those that do leave are either young people or very experienced and wealthy older people. Due to the overhasty rectification of the race issue, RSA presently are struggling with crime, degraded public services, malfunctioning administrations of towns, etc. All these factors becomes a new incentive to join the rat race going oversea. My partner is presently in the USA for the past 5 years.
An unfortunate thing I noticed, when visiting other countries, is that many of the South Africans still has the inbred racism in them in their dealings with other people of different cultures.
Out of topic with corruption, and racism the South African government is promised to root out complete violence corruption as the objective being World cup football 2010.
With this as objective and to get back SA to the world scene Mbeki has to definitely look more into the interest of the country rather than his own whims and desires.
Well over the period he is definitely done a great job. Well since i know very less about SA politics this is the only stuff i could write.
Many people in South Africa will differ with you on that one. It is so bad that the hardliner ultra right wing white Afrikaners are saying they would like Nelson Mandela back!
Mandela tried to mold the country into one unit. Mbeki has racially devided the country again. There are many of his cronies trying to get the population again to be racially classified.
Mbeki made one big blunder in stating there is no such thing as the HIV virus condemning millions of the poorest of black South Africa to die because of no ARV’s. Mbeki is actually the biggest mass murdered this continent has ever seen if considered that he prevented these millions, many being women and children, of receiving life-saving help.
Mbeki let thousands of Zimbabweans die of hunger and poverty because he is too spine-less to take on Mugabe and preventing that miscreant destroying a wonderful country.
Mbeki is the best ambassador and foreign minister that this country ever had. He spends about 5 days in Parlement per year while galavanting for more 3 months settling disputes world-wide. Meanwhile the country has the highest rape and murder stats in the world. There are more people being murdered daily in the RSA than people killed in Iraq!
Mbeki is totally soft on corruption and during his term almost all the institutions created under Mandela has been hamstrung or disbanded.
I do not understand why has continent of Africa plunged itself into self destruction. The wars along the tribal lines, the superstitious form of christianity, why? Although Africans in other parts of the world have done well.
It’s mainly Europa’s fault. The nations came, conquered or plainly took, and then marked the countries out as they seemed fit - same as in the Mid-East. The borders cut across tribal lines and cultures.
Most problems in Africa are ethnic/tribal related. Politics are done on ethnic/tribal lines. Of course there will be tensions between those that never want to give power away, and those that know they will never attain power. How would the Islamic majority in Pakistan feel if the government was Hindu/Christian?
South Africa has a better chance to succeed because no one ethnic/tribal group is dominant.
Whites don’t rule the government anymore. Some say Xhosas do…
There exist big question marks over the 2010 World Cup.
We will first have to get a new President. If Zuma lose, there might be problems from the more militant people such as labour unions, Zulu’s, Youth League, etc.
There exist basically no public transport system except for the mini-bus taxi industry which has major problems. Very few white and middle class people use the minibus taxi system presently. The government wants to get the taxi owners to change the old taxis for new ones and their are major discontend about it.
I don’t think our airports will be able to cope with the large influx of people. Hopefully the government will extend the services.
There has not been one sod turned for the building the new stadions - the new football headquarters are almost finished though.
The new rail system (Gautrain) might only be one third complete by 2010.
Where do you see blacks today are they growing economically though there is so much of crime, corruption and illegal activities existing in country. Coz blacks are source of wealth.
I wonder how come all this news gets unnoticed in the global arena, when they are worst problems existing in Africa. Do you consider the europeans to be blamed for the civil, tribal and poverty in Africa today.
Trevor Manual would make a great president, never considered him. Any contenders from opposition parties?
Mbeki has done a lot for the African continent if not for SA's domestic problems - mediation in Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, DRC - like you said he's been extremely active overseas. How's DP Mlambo-Ngcuka been performing?
Blacks are actually not the source of wealth in South Africa. That lies with the better educated white and indian segments.
A few priveleged black people of African descent are doing very well. Companies are by law forced to incorporate black people in order to uplift them from poverty. Unfortunately the same names get mentioned whenever there are partnerships and economic shares to be distributed. I read the other day that there are presently more black milionaires in South Africa than white, coloured and indian put together.
The black middle class is slowly growing according to natural distribution.
The world’s eyes are on Europe, USA, the far East, and the Mid East - not Africa. How many posts you see in this forum discussing Africa south of the equator?
