Bid to oust Mbeki fails
2008-05-11 23:14
Jan-Jan Joubert
Johannesburg - The South African Communist Party's plan to drive President Thabo Mbeki from his post has failed.
Mbeki is staying on in his post and there are no plans by the African National Congress-SACP-Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) alliance to get rid of him.
ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe gave this assurance at a news conference in Johannesburg on Sunday after a meeting of the three alliance members in Midrand at the weekend.
The SACP had asked that Mbeki be "recalled" by the ANC and thus replaced, but the conference denied the request.
Mantashe said in reply to claims that Mbeki would soon be out of a job: "There are aspects about which we differ, but we're not going to put him in the dock or make him the scapegoat."
Tension was obvious
The alliance partners did let it show, however, that they were dissatisfied with how Mbeki's government had handled certain issues, such as the rise in food and fuel prices, high levels of unemployment, the power crisis and Zimbabwe.
When Mantashe was confronted along with Cosatu's Zwelinzima Vavi and the SACP's Blade Nzimande at a media conference on Sunday, no one denied the tension.
Mantashe confirmed that Mbeki was a cadre deployed by the ANC, but said this should not be misunderstood.
No orders would be given to him. However, requests would be made.
"He is a cadre of the ANC. And a cadre is not like a factory-floor worker who can be fired if he doesn't obey orders."
- Beeld