William M. Gumede is a former deputy editor of The Sowetan, Johannesburg. He is the author of the bestselling Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC. His new book, The Democracy Gap: AfricaŹ¼s Wasted Years, will be released in the U.S. in May, 2009.
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William M. Gumede
South Africa
William M. Gumede is a former deputy editor of The Sowetan, Johannesburg.
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Mac Maharaj's statement "It is actions that are going to inspire confidence" is not necessarily a warning; it is more friendly advice. And Mr. Gumede's own advice that Mr. Zuma can yet prove to be successful "if he uses the best talents of all South Africans, from all races, whether critical of him or not, rather than rewarding incompetent cronies, dodgy financial backers or those from the same ethnic group" is not lost on Zuma, far from it, as is his refusal to committing himself to, or ruling out, Trevor Manuel as Finance Minister. There are a lot of other very, very capable South Africans, among whom certainly Kader Asmal, Ronnie Kasrils and countless others.
These days, we read a lot about Mbeki not seeing the wave of unpopularity rising against him until Pholokwane. But what is not addressed is: how come, with so many able, highly-educated South Africans around Mbeki who had also been moulded by the very hard and ennobling struggle against apartheid, none of them saw the tide of unpopularity rise or else lacked the spine to frontally take on Mbeki.
Where was Mac Maharaj then, where Trevor Manuel, where Jay Naidoo? We know that Kader Asmal certainly had tried to first reason with Mbeki, notably on both the AIDS issue and Zimbabwe, some colleagues even enlisting his mother's influence on the AIDS issue. And then, closer to Pholokwane, he had been firmer in his criticism, but the Zuma juggernauth by then was in full motion.
Maybe Zuma will remember all this as he choose his team, and will weigh wisely where not only the capabilities are, but also the spine to take up challenges.
PostGlobal is an interactive conversation on global issues moderated by Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria and David Ignatius of The Washington Post. It is produced jointly by Newsweek and washingtonpost.com, as is On Faith, a conversation on religion. Please send your comments, questions and suggestions for PostGlobal to Lauren Keane, its editor and producer.
All Comments (1)
Mac Maharaj's statement "It is actions that are going to inspire confidence" is not necessarily a warning; it is more friendly advice. And Mr. Gumede's own advice that Mr. Zuma can yet prove to be successful "if he uses the best talents of all South Africans, from all races, whether critical of him or not, rather than rewarding incompetent cronies, dodgy financial backers or those from the same ethnic group" is not lost on Zuma, far from it, as is his refusal to committing himself to, or ruling out, Trevor Manuel as Finance Minister. There are a lot of other very, very capable South Africans, among whom certainly Kader Asmal, Ronnie Kasrils and countless others.
These days, we read a lot about Mbeki not seeing the wave of unpopularity rising against him until Pholokwane. But what is not addressed is: how come, with so many able, highly-educated South Africans around Mbeki who had also been moulded by the very hard and ennobling struggle against apartheid, none of them saw the tide of unpopularity rise or else lacked the spine to frontally take on Mbeki.
Where was Mac Maharaj then, where Trevor Manuel, where Jay Naidoo? We know that Kader Asmal certainly had tried to first reason with Mbeki, notably on both the AIDS issue and Zimbabwe, some colleagues even enlisting his mother's influence on the AIDS issue. And then, closer to Pholokwane, he had been firmer in his criticism, but the Zuma juggernauth by then was in full motion.
Maybe Zuma will remember all this as he choose his team, and will weigh wisely where not only the capabilities are, but also the spine to take up challenges.
April 23, 2009 11:17 AM | Report Offensive Comments
Posted on April 23, 2009 11:17