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Confronting leadership

2008-12-03 08:45

Max du Preez

The present fluidity in our politics gives us voters the ideal opportunity to call our politicians' bluff.

We should start by confronting the new leadership of the ruling ANC with the promises they made when they were campaigning against Thabo Mbeki.

Cosatu and the South African Communist Party, who are now dominant in the ANC, ran a strong campaign against Mbeki's role in Zimbabwe. They expressed their solidarity with the people of that country and launched vicious attacks on Robert Mugabe, calling for his swift removal.

The SACP and Cosatu now call the shots in government. The man they threatened to kill for, is now the president of the ruling party. The president of the country is beholden to them.

Kgalema Motlanthe replaced Mbeki as president more than two months ago. Since then matters in Zimbabwe had deteriorated significantly: more than 600 (some say more than 1 000) people died of cholera; more young children's physical and mental development is now compromised because of a lack of proper food; education has ground to a halt in many areas; and soldiers have started looting businesses and are clashing with police in the streets.

Decisive

Why is the new ANC leadership not doing anything decisive to end the crisis? All we know is that Motlanthe has "urged" Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to "implement the power-sharing deal" they agreed to earlier.

Does the ANC even remember that the MDC had won the presidential and parliamentary elections early this year? Why then the pressure on it to blindly implement an accord that would give almost all significant cabinet portfolios to Zanu-PF, including the military, and would force the two parties to "share" responsibility over the police?

Botswana, Zambia and Tanzania are all sick of the region's pampering of Mugabe. If South Africa stood up tomorrow with a firm, quick exit strategy for Mugabe and his top generals, we could have a government of national unity in Harare by early 2009.

Let's face it: every day we do nothing in Zimbabwe, more irreparable damage is done to human beings.

Sadly, there seems to be a serious lack of political will in Luthuli House. They are little better than Thabo Mbeki himself.

Trust

But let's not confine ourselves to the ANC when we call politicians' bluff. For instance, we can now ask the former minister of Defence and his deputy who are playing holier-than-thou now that they have their own party, Terror Lekota and Mluleki George, why they helped to block a proper judicial investigation into the arms procurement deal years ago.

As Defence Ministry insiders they must know something about who took what kind of kickbacks from whom. Will they now tell us, please?

For as long as we don't have a proper, independent commission of enquiry into the arms scandal, we will not be able to trust the politicians of the ANC and Cope. We should force them to say categorically whether they are for or against such an enquiry.

We as voters have a wonderful opportunity between now and the general election next year to squeeze answers out of our politicians and to embarrass them into speaking something resembling the truth.

After that, we're stuck for five years and our strongest manifestation of democracy will be our newspapers and independent radio and television.

Send your comments to Max.

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The ANC and COPE will obfuscate, lie, stall and basically refuse to answer the arms deal scandal charges, who do we vote for then? Both these parties are fighting for space in the gravy trough only, and the truth of the arms scandal saga is as far from there minds as feeding and educating the poor of this country!

I am surprised by the lack of urgency from the new ANC leadership on Zim issue. I thought that they would adopt the late Mwanawasa's approach and deal with Mugabe accordingly. The ANC and COPE leaders must share blame for the lack of service delivery and blocking an enquiry to the arms-deal whilst they were still in parliament. S.A. need a new party with new leaders not old leaders under a new party.

I find Zimbabwean leaders/principals very insincere. I am not sure really whether anyone can do anything if the main parties are not interested. I read the letter written by Tendai Biti to Thabo Mbeki,and also Thabo Mbeki's response. It seems MDC (and Mugabe as well) are not very concerned about the worsening situation in their country instead they argue about stupid portifolios.

I agree with your views,but how do we squeeze the truth out before election time?How about we use this time to unite in support for COPE(CHANGE) or DA,adults,the youth, artists(musicians & actors & business people like the US did for Obama.Then COPE would owe us a lot & would be expected to WORK WORK WORK.If they don't,we all agree to pull out & withdraw our support.They are nothing without us.How about that?

Only if it means hauling them in front of the International Court on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. A graceful exit will not be acceptable and, please, no political asylum for Mugabe! One tinpot dictator (Arse Tide) living a life of luxury at the SA taxpayers' cost, is more than we can handle!

Ok so this is the prez?s argument. Take productive farms from a competent farmer and because of the wrongdoings of the previous governments, give it to incompetent people. Blame the reason for importing food on the previous government. Put labour laws in place for minimum wages and when the retrenchments takes place because of the world recession, give the problem to Vavi and Co to sort out. Rather put 10,000 people out of work then keep them at half wages? Brilliant argument Mr Prez. Good luck. You and your party is the author of your own misery (mystery)

People of SA have no chance of calling their bluff when the ANC have 67% of the vote. The ANC will do utmost to ensure another 2/3 majority in next election.If they fail,there will be huge investigations into all sorts of troubled contracts,they might even seal the documents before then for 50 years.To call the ANC bluff would be to for them to only obtain less than 50% of the votes.Many top heads would roll if investigations were done on all contracts in SA over R20mil.

Its a pleasure to read a great columnist like Max, there seem to be so few! I am not in the media business but my goodness when i read self-procliamed political specialists' columns i wonder who is left to read to get an informed opinion, and it seems Max is still one of those :)

Why worry. The people in Zimbabwe voted all those years for Mugabe and kept him in power till he can't differentiate between himself and God. They are doing the same here, saying they will kill for a person who will eventually kill them all.

You asked the million dollar Q: why is the new leadership not doing more in Zim? the UN should be brought in to oversee new elecetions in that country and possibly, to form an interim govt so that neither party has an advantage. Then, whoever wins should be given the full support of SA, SADC, SACU etc to ensure a speedy resolution. Maybe the powers that be know something we don't?

I am failing to link the dots ie between premise and conclusion.But SADC is responsible for mediation in ZIM.Thabo has been deployed by SADC as the mediator.ANC has expressed itself over and over again on ZIM crisis and the quicker the solution the better for SA.We should be demanding a quicker solution frm SADC.Iro Cope,lies bequeath lies.If their preamble was issue based then fine,but this load of hogwash.Need to ask,are we simply just happy to have blacks fighting the other "blacks'?

I can always count on MAx to write something relevant,true,inmportant to the point without disrespecting anyone.It shows maturity,good jounalism.No sensationalism,no religion,no ridiculing,just simply thought provoking & engaging.Great stuff.Thanks Sir.

Zimbabwe is not our tenth province hence we cannot dictate power sharing for them. If Zimbabwe was in crisis why they voted for ZanuPF, in addition there is no ways MDC and ZanuPF can share the plate and in contrary only if assassination occurs, perhaps. South Africa is in political turmoil and more embarrassing it is an internal battle which the egg shell could not sustained that is why we have two chicks with one eye, one feet, one wing and halve parts.

...and next week the situation is worse still in Zim and yes, we should now implement steps to adress this worstening situation. So then, when it gets even more serious, we should now take a serious look and urge the Zim ape Bob to stop stuffing peanuts in his fat mug. It's becoming critical really, and we must take some steps to tend to this turksvy of a problem. Yes my folks. It sure is serious you know. Very very critical and serious and thats why we need to take steps. Serious steps.

We need something to live for, not to die or kill for. That is the South Africa I want and the party that is clear on how they will get me that is the one I will vote for. I've never been a fan of the DA but they suffer the least from compromised bona fides and have the most comprehensive and consistant approach. If not them it will be ID for me again, even if it is just to have Patricia De Lille in parliament to rock the boat.

Great article! Maybe the SABC (we can only live in hope!) should invite Mr Vavi to take part in a discussion on Zimbabwe, SHOW him footage of himself calling for swift action and the removal of Mugabe(so that he can't accuse counter-revolutionary journalists of misquoting him!) and then ask him to comment. The only condition should be that he leave Jesse and Carl at home.

These so called politicians are not bluffing.They believe every word they say.We all used to blame Mbeki for having his head in the sand.There are more ostriches on this farm than one.Now you go and try do anyhting with your head in the sand,it's impossible.Africa is cock-eyed from the top to the tip.

The ANC insisted on retaining Mbeki as Zim mediator despite previous disagreement. ANC shows no real conviction in any area.(read manifesto that cannot be implemented) Mbeki should tell us which of his and Bob's assets in DRC are being protected by Zim and SA troups??? The arms deal is chicken feed!

Just before an election is the time you're least likely to extract the truth from any politician involved in the election. The ANC is at least finally admitting it's been lying all this time about things like losing touch with the people, which counts for something. It is now promising it will keep its promises, but it's made that promise before, even if not quite so explicitly, and has reneged every time. I don't think anything will convince me that this round will be any different.

There must be a relationship between certain political role players in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Could it be that Mugabe and "certain role players" have business deals together, for example diamond mines etc. etc.? Could that be the reason for the lack of action from the SA Government? Just asking?

Are the people of Zimbabwe serious about having peace? Who were the soldiers fighting? Let them fight the real cause. Let us stop blaming other countries, Zimbabweans please do it for yourselves, you are the ones suffering.

Arent you the same guy who said just a few months ago,that the deal in Zim will work because it is an african solution,and the people now commiting here,arent you the same ones who said that,when I said that deal is doomed to fail I was called a racist,seems like I was right all along.ha ha ha ha ha ha

Do you remember in 2002/2003 when people predicted famine and disaster in Zim beacuse of Mugabe's policies? Do you remember how the ANC cacophany screeched "Racist-Racist" when the predictions were made? Now..? How can you expect the ANC to admit being wrong?

Do not forget how the ANC-president flew our tax-payers money to go to the UN and say 'we will find an African solution in Zim". Now, please South Africa, observe how horrible and 'african solution' is! Look at Zim! Look and learn!

Max, most of the time, I see you as a Boer that's lost big time. This time your article is much more balanced and correct in explaining the truth. Mugaab is playing this game to have time for entrenching himself further. He will only go out feet first. Military force should have been used a long time ago to remove him and his crony generals. The one thing that will always remain is this: The ANC and those who voted for them, are traitors to freedom and to the people of Zim.