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Talk about Tokyo 'premature'
08/01/2007 09:05 - (SA)
Carien du Plessis, Die Burger
Cape Town - "People are under the impression that their faces will be remembered if they build a profile through the media and television."
This was the opinion of Kgalema Motlanthe, secretary-general of the ANC, in a veiled reference to Tokyo Sexwale, businessman, television presenter and former premier of Gauteng.
Motlanthe made this derogatory remark when he was asked about Sexwale being
approached by ANC leaders to make himself available as a successor to
President Thabo Mbeki as president of the ANC - and therefore also the
leader of South Africa.
Motlanthe himself was regarded by ANC leaders as well as political analysts
as a possible candidate to succeed Mbeki. Motlanthe was also regarded as a
supporter of Jacob Zuma, the deputy leader of the ANC.
"They are trying to vie for positions in this way (through the media)," said
Motlanthe.
Media is powerful
"People in the ANC branches can be influenced by the media, but they can
also react negatively. There are people who have been in the ANC for a long
time who can see through it (the media campaigns," he said.
The Sunday Times on Sunday reported that Sexwale was approached by ANC
leaders in the Mbeki and Zuma camps to be a compromising candidate in this
year's leadership battle. They thus wanted to prevent the succession battle
to split the ANC.
He said "it wouldn't be correct" for ANC leaders such as Essop Pahad,
minister of the presidency, Zola Skweyiya, minister of social
development, and Pallo Jordan, minister of art and culture, to approach
Sexwale, "who is not even serving on the ANC's national executive
committee", to make himself available as a candidate at this early stage.
The nomination process for new ANC leaders - who will be elected during the
ANC's national congress in December - only starts in June in branches
countrywide and will be finalised in October or November.
Motlanthe did not deny that support was already being canvassed for certain
candidates within the ANC.
He neither confirmed nor denied the report about Sexwale in the Sunday
Times.
Sexwale was apparently already getting his private matters in order in
preparation for taking part in the battle for the ANC presidency.
Professor Adam Habib, political analyst at the Human Sciences Research Council in
Pretoria, said he would not be surprised if Sexwale was approached by ANC
leaders in an effort to defuse the tension between the Mbeki and Zuma camps.
He said there was a feeling inside the ANC that the president had to have a
certain stature and the question was whether Sexwale's television experience
would enhance this stature.
Sexwale recently refused to present a second series of the South African
version of the reality programme The Apprentice which could indicate that he
wanted to stand as president, said Habib.
Skweyiya referred inquiries to Smuts Ngonyama, information chief of the ANC,
but Ngonyama failed to answer his phone. Jordan's spokesperson, Sandile
Memela's phone was also switched off.
Sexwale could also not be reached.
- Die Burger
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