News24 Columnists
Missed a News24 Column? Click here to read past columns from some of News24's finest.
Sport24 Columnists
Missing your favourite Sport24 Columnists? Click here to read the latest views from Sports24.
Search News24
     Columnists : Max du Preez Get News24 on your mobile Terms & conditions 
Homepage
South Africa
Africa
World
Sport
Entertainment
Sci-Tech
Finance
Health
Galleries
 
SA Politics
Zimbabwe
Aids Focus
More...
 
MyNews24
Columnists
Sports Columnists
Feedback
 
National Lottery
UK Lottery
Travel
Competitions
Horoscopes
TV Guides
Classifieds
Food
 
Sudoku
Aces High
Silly Solitaire
Word Cube
Make 24
Golf Solitaire
Battleship
More games
 
Stidy
The Biggish Five
Treknet
 
Newsletters
Weather

Cape Town:
19-25°C

Durban:
23-30°C

Johannesburg:
17-28°C

Weather Page

Traffic
Gauteng KwaZulu-Natal Eastern Cape Western Cape
All regions
Indicators
Rand/$ 9.7000
Rand/£ 14.6700
Rand/€ 13.2500
Gold/oz $843.00
Gold Mining 2277.38
+0.00%
All-share index 22718.97
+0.00%
 
Write what you want to read about
Calling all budding journalists. Want to get published on News24? Find out how to get your articles published on MyNews24!

 
Afrikaans
English
 

Confronting leadership
03/12/2008 08:45  - (SA)  

Want to know more?
Answerit can help.

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.

Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.

- News24



What is this?
Yahoo Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Brought to you by OUTsurance Car Insurance
 
News24 Headlines on your Facebook profile News24 on mobile  


 
     
  Call their Bluff
03/12/2008 09:17
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! - Pierre
 
  Max...
03/12/2008 09:30
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. - Thami
 
  Mugabe & Tsvangarai are insincere
03/12/2008 09:31
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. - zizi
 
  Yes Max
03/12/2008 09:36
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? - nthatuwa
 
  Exit strategy for Mugabe and Co.?
03/12/2008 09:42
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! - JhbBoykie
 
  Blame yourself
03/12/2008 09:44
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) - Me
 
  What are we supposed to do?
03/12/2008 09:56
Unless we still have a little nuke hiding somwhere in our post apartheid arsenal which we can drop on Harare,I cannot see SA doing anything significant to force Zanu PF out of power. - TB
 
  Max, you surprose me!
03/12/2008 09:56
No Afrikaner-bashing? Have 'they' called you off for the election? Anyway, as you say, it is the same old ANC selling lies and empty promises! - TC
 
  Calling their bluff
03/12/2008 09:57
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. - Steadfast
 
  max
03/12/2008 10:03
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 :) - pi
 
  Stupid
03/12/2008 10:04
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. - Stupid
 
  Max
03/12/2008 10:13
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? - VG
 
  Zim....not our 13th Province......?
03/12/2008 10:16
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'? - Cape Town Kid
 
  True
03/12/2008 10:30
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. - nthatuwa
 
  Southern Africa political turmoil
03/12/2008 10:33
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. - Jugu
 
  Yes, the situation is serious and we must take action
03/12/2008 11:00
...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. - Sick of listening to lame ass fuggin politicians
 
  Different Perspective
03/12/2008 11:02
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. - Louis
 
  Cosatu
03/12/2008 11:03
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. - S4
 
  There is no bluff Max
03/12/2008 11:11
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. - psycobabble
 
  Nothing new
03/12/2008 11:23
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! - Langa
 
  Blame ignoramuses
03/12/2008 11:26
No matter what, COPE all the way! - matimba
 
  The worst time for the truth
03/12/2008 11:47
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. - CTheB
 
  Why, do you ask?
03/12/2008 11:47
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? - Andre
 
  Confronting Leadership
03/12/2008 11:54
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. - moipone
 
  Wait a minute
03/12/2008 11:58
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 - proud to be white
 
  Max, do you remember..
03/12/2008 12:16
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? - TC
 
  IAn African solution in Zim!
03/12/2008 12:20
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! - TC
 
  Max, ja ja ja
03/12/2008 12:22
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. - Boerseun
 
     
This comments facility is now closed.
 
 
 


About us | Advertise | Contact us | Job opportunities | Press Releases | Site map

Back to top
 Jobs
Snr Microsoft Programmer
Gauteng - Centurion
IT / Telecomms
Accountant
Gauteng - North/Sandton
Medical / Healthcare
Accountant
Gauteng - North/Sandton
Mining / Geology
Financial Manager
Africa (excl. SA)
IT / Telecomms
Financial Accountant
Gauteng - Johannesburg
Medical / Healthcare
 Sponsored links
Life Insurance
Car Insurance
UK Lottery
First for Women
Your Homeloan
Bid or Buy
Medical Aid
Education
Loans & Credit Cards
Compare Quotes
Life Insurance for Women
Audio, TV, GPS & PS3 etc
Car Servicing & Repair
Win up to R1000 free!