Lekota: It's not about big names

2008-11-01 17:43

Johannesburg - Convention convenor Terror Lekota says he is not disappointed at the absence of other former Cabinet ministers from Saturday's national convention in Sandton.

"This thing is not about some big names," he told a media conference at the venue. "It's about citizens of this country who must take now the responsibility to participate in determining the future of their country."

There had been speculation that several members of the former Thabo Mbeki Cabinet, including Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi and Ronnie Kasrils, might attend the two-day event.

However they did not turn up, and apart from Moeletsi Mbeki, the ex-president's brother, and former Eastern Cape premier Nosimo Balindlela, there were few surprises among the attendees.

Lekota said he knew big names were useful because they influenced their supporters to follow suit.

'We can't complain'

"But again that is the right of those individuals. If those former ministers or even the ministers that are there, if they continue to feel comfortable with associating their names with some of the things that we see happening, well so be it: it's also their democratic right.

"We can't complain about this."

Lekota quit his post as defence minister following Mbeki's axing from the presidency in September.

Asked whether he thought the ANC rally to be addressed by party president Jacob Zuma in Soweto on Sunday had been arranged as a deliberate challenge to the convention, Lekota said he did not want the convention to be an ANC-bashing event.

He did not know when the ANC arranged the rally, but it appeared that whenever the convention movement organised a meeting somewhere, the ANC suddenly developed a meeting there as well.

"So I don't know. It may well be that this was long arranged and so on, it may well be it's been arranged because we have a meeting here, I don't know.

"They are within their rights. We will not have our supporters go there to disturb that meeting. We wish it well."

- SAPA