I'm putting my usual brand of optimism on hold until we can get a better view of a post Mbeki South Africa. This post from one of the readers.
President Thabo Mbeki has, to date, received letters of resignation from the following members of Cabinet which, regretfully, he has had to accept:
1. Deputy President
2. Minister of Defence
3. Minister of Finance
4. Minister in the Presidency, Dr. Essop Pahad
5. Minister of Intelligence
6. Minister of Correctional Services
7. Minister of Public Enterprises
8. Minister of Science and Technology
9. Minister of Public Works
10. Minister of Provincial and Local Government
11. Minister of Public Service and Administration
The following Deputy Ministers have also tendered their resignations:
1. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Aziz Pahad
2. Deputy Minister of Finance and
3. Deputy Minister of Correctional Services
The resignations will be effective from the day that the President''s resignation takes effect. All the Ministers have expressed their availability to assist the incoming administration in the hand-over process and any other assistance that might be sought from them. President Mbeki thanked the Deputy President, the Ministers and the Deputy Ministers for their dedicated service to the nation and wished them well in their future endeavours.
fuck with trevor leaving the markets are going to collapse, rooster hier kom kak
On the negative side, I haven't verified this, but let's assume it's the truth. However let's curb the panic and remember a few things. The South African economic policies and philosophies are far bigger than mister Manuel. And the economic growth we've seen and continue to see is evidence of far more than just clever fiscal policy. The South Africans environment remains and will remain vibrant despite anything the government can throw at it in the short term. That assumes they will be stupid enough to change anything at all given the remarkable economic success we've had and the credibility it's given the A.N.C. To change this in any sense would be to throw away their trump card.
I also see a few positions there which honestly could use a kick up the bum and obviously their resignation is a step in the right direction. I also can't see all these ministers up and moving without popping their heads up in some form in the South African politisphere in the new few weeks. It should be interesting to see what shift/movement we are going to see in A.N.C loyalty ammongst the votership. Certainly mr Mbeki had his enemies, but he also had his friends. It could all be an exciting time for the democratic process in South Africa where a real opposition emereges.
15 comments:
it is on e-news on dstv and the rand has all ready weakened by 20c
all south african news servers down due to traffic
I reckon that this is the best news / thing to happen to South Africa since 1994.
Thabo, whom we all know is a capatilist at heart, and his followers will start their own party, and take with them their supporters.
I don't think that the majority of the people of South Africa, and I'm referring here to the blacks, are that stupid to believe that that Zooooooma cunt (and his cronies) are the best thing to happen to SA.
Sure, Zuma's ANC will get a lot of votes. But will it be enough?
Thabo will split the votes, and then there is a lot of blacks that vote IFP, UDM, ID and DA.
The time is ripe for the opposition parties to join hands and fight the evil that is known as the ANC.
I say make Buthelezi or Holomisa the leader of a united opposition party, and give the leaders of the other opposition parties important positions (as these politician fuckers so love power)
If that does happens anon, then it would be pretty exciting. I don't know if Thabo would be able to run again for president by law , but certainly as a figure head he could easily pull 20% of the A.N.C voters and form a party which will attract progressive middle class intellectuals of the country of all colors.
I believe that you are correct when you say he'll attract people from all races.
However, not that much. Mbeki has made some crucial mistakes during his time as president, and that will certainly count against him.
My personal opinion is that more people would go for the idea of Bhutelezi or Holomisa as the newest president of South Africa. Both these individuals, I believe, have always acted with integrity.
I for one would certainly vote for a united opposition party with one of these gentlemen as the leader. And yes, I'm white.
With Mbeki and Manuel gone certainly It must be a good time to see the watering down of the A.N.C. I don't care who people vote for , but a governing party with 40-50% votership and a house opposition of around the same can only be healthy for a democracy.
trevor might still be reelected on thursday, but have a look at the markets the rand is like a yo-yo
so much for smooth transition
Don't worry about the Rand. The gold price is sky rocketing so it'll keep relatively stable. Even if it doesn't and slips to even 9 to the dollar it'll encourage exports and tourism. Always a silver lining. So far it;s holding pretty steady on the back of some pretty shaky news.
While I am quite nervous to see Mbeki go, I do relish the opportunity for a real opposition to form. Not necessarily to take over government but more to keep the ANC honest. For me Mbeki, who presided over South Africa's slide into a moral and economic morass, is a lame duck, having reduced South Africa's Parliament to a rubber stamp institution after the Zuma takeover.
Sure, the economy is growing at 2.8 percent annually and is an improvement on two decades before the ANC took over, but the South African population grows by an annual 2.1 percent, which means South African income growth per capita is less than 1 percent per annum, hardly vibrant and not enough to ever help tackle poverty.
Let’s say that after 1994 the economy needed to grow by the conservative figure of 55 percent to incorporate all South Africans. I highly doubt that the poor people of SA would wait 55years just to reach the same economic level we had right after apartheid. They are rebelling after only 14 years.
Botswana has averaged 7 percent GDP growth over the last 20 years yet we have the best infrastructure and banking system in Africa. We also have a stable and democratic government.
Absolute poverty rose as well under Mbeki, increasing from 1.89 million in 1996 to 4.2 million in 2005 and now Mbeki has to watch as Zuma and his followers run the country from the ANC headquarters in the Lithuli House.
I think something had to give and this is the reason for the grass-roots takeover. It is quite exciting stuff. Personally, I just hope Zuma does not get a look in next year and SA can produce something extra special. Does anybody have ideas for a new ANC splinter party?
Where did you pull that 2.8 % from ? the economy has grown conservatively at around 5 % for the past 30 quarters and in real terms closer to 7. Even with the so called non story of the escom "crisis" we've still achieved 4% growth this year. Not to put Botswana down , they are a great african success story too.
I don't know where you got the figures for "absolute" poverty. It contradicts everything I've seen. The very fact alone that the poor and unemployed recieve benefits now alone makes that notion absurd.
Hey Cock Head
A while back you wrote a post called "ANC - superheros of government."
A bit of an over-statement for a bunch of zots who clearly put their own egos and careers ahead of the welfare of the country huh?
Settle down. The fact that so many minsters resigned with Mbeki shows me there is still a heap of integrity in the A.N.C. Could you say that for anyone in American politics other than independents like Ron Paul/Ros Perot etc ?
Fowl-fuck, it is the beginning of the end. Intelligent whites will begin to realise it is time to hand Africa back to the Africans...
Anon...aren't you meant to be on a street corner somewhere with your "the end is night" sign ?
Minister of Intelligence...
In south africa, now that is soooo funny.
KOOS
AMERICA’S former president, Jimmy Carter, said the closest he has ever been to a fist fight was when former president Thabo Mbeki told him that anti-retrovirals for mothers infected with HIV/Aids was a plot of white people against black people.
Carter made the statement on Tuesday night at the Carter Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, while hosting a number of American and overseas journalists, including the Daily Dispatch and Sunday Times.
At the end of the meeting, Conversations at the Carter Centre, the former Democratic Party president expressed his satisfaction that Mbeki had been ousted. “Frankly I am glad to see him gone,” Carter said.
The former president said that he had almost come to blows with Mbeki in the presence of former Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, then the world’s wealthiest man, when Mbeki rejected funds for anti-retrovirals and accused white people of using anti-retrovirals to harm black people.
Carter said Mbeki, whom he told his American audience will probably be replaced by ANC president Jacob Zuma, also made a serious mistake by his support for Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe.
He said Mugabe should have been deposed had it not been for Mbeki’s support.
Yesterday the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) said they agreed with Carter’s statements.
TAC leader Zackie Achmat said it was sad that it took so long for the ANC to recall Mbeki. He said Mbeki’s failure to act promptly resulted in millions of premature Aids-related deaths.
“We think the (former) president (Mbeki) has done enormous damage to our society.… Since he came into power, at least two million people have died prematurely ,” said Achmat.
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