Firstly I’d like to apologise for the large amount of political content on this blog in the last two days. It’s just that the Jacob Zuma/ANC turmoil has got me somewhat distressed and I feel something needs to be said. I cant promise you this will be the last comment on the matter but I’ll try tone it down with lighter material soon.
It’s no surprise that a large percentage of Mbeki supporters, the likes of Mosiuoa Lekota, Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Alec Irwin and many more are no longer featured on the ANC’s National Executive committee. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not exactly crushed by the sacking of say Alec Irwin or Ngconde Balfour and while this was to be expected it is who has become members that I find the most disturbing.
The candidate with the most votes for the NEC is… drum roll please… Winnie Madikizela-Mandela! Also on that list is Tony Yengeni and his wife (who I’ve never even heard of in terms of politics), SACP General-Secretary Blade Nzimande, Tokyo Sexwale, ANC youth league president (and utter pillock) Fikile Mbalula and finally sacked deputy health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge amongst others.
Lets take a look at that list for a second: Madikizela-Mandela and Yengeni are convicted criminals. Blade Nzimande is fiscally dubious and frankly a communist, a direction this country does not need. Tokyo Sexwale is involved in big business which in my mind leads to a conflict on interest. Madlala-Routledge seems to be the only decent one of the bunch as she was fired due to circumstances I feel are dubious. Fikile Mbalula is quite simply a barely literate degenerate. The hate and filth that is spewed from his mouth is both racist and disgusting, someone like this should not be given more power.
The only member on the committee that appeals to me is Trevor Manuel, a man seen as pro Mbeki. Thus might cost him his job when the 2009 elections roll around; replaced by a recently pardoned Schabir Shaik. This however, would be a crying shame, Manuel is the only competent member of parliament at the moment in my opinion.
This is a very sad day for both the ANC and our country. Does the ANC lack any credible leadership so much so that they elected a bunch of criminals and degenerates? The crying shame: someone like Manto Tshabalala-Msimang managed to make the cut.
It’s not to say that the Mbeki government was successful, they had many, many shortcomings and who knows maybe the Zuma government will be more successful and build on their foundations.
In my opinion though: once a criminal always a criminal, a cushy office doesn’t make you suddenly change your outlook on the world.
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