[The ANC is trying to do all they can to prevent this from hurting the organisation, and yet, I think they won”t be able to avoid it. Wars can start slowly… where nobody wants to really get the adrenalin flowing… but later, as one thing follows another… it gets out of hand.

There is no doubt that BOTH SIDES in the ANC are committed to seeing that this does not hurt them… and yet, they are committed to certain courses of action which are diametrically opposite.

This is fascinating to watch. Its like seeing Mbeki naked for the first time ever. Its shocking, but for the first time, we are seeing them in a more real light. I will be watching this with tremendous fascination to see how they function in this situation. It promises to be a real eye-opener. Make no mistake – this is real. Jan]

President Thabo Mbeki has publicly berated those African National Congress members who have started a “Jacob Zuma for president” campaign.

Mbeki has also emphatically stated his opposition to a succession debate taking place before the ANC”s national conference in 2007 and made clear that he would not be grooming anyone to succeed him in 2009.

While Mbeki also stressed that he would not stand for re-election in 2009 because the constitution forbade this, he hinted that he would consider staying on as ANC president.

In an interview with SABC television on Sunday night, Mbeki said he had “a very firm view” that the ANC should not deal with the succession debate ahead of the 2007 conference.

“We are two-and-a-half-years away from the ANC”s national conference and I think it would be exceedingly unwise to throw the ANC into the grip of some contest for two-and-a-half years and divert it from what it has to do.

“I think it”s unnecessary and I most certainly will discourage it very, very firmly,” he said following the National General Council meeting in Pretoria.

Citing the recent violent protests against government”s failure to deliver basic services, Mbeki said: “Here is a mayor and young people in the streets have been burning tyres and so on, and you say to that mayor “forget that, we are now searching for a president”.

Asked whether he would stand for president of the country again, Mbeki said: “No, no, no – I couldn”t accept that.”

In drafting the constitution, the ANC had deliberately limited the president to two terms.

“We don”t want professionalisation of power so that people are professionally a president for 50 years – that is out of order.”

However, asked whether he would accept nomination for president of the ANC, Mbeki said the party”s constitution did not have a similar limitation.

It would clearly be very good to have a younger person with “new blood, new ideas and new energy” succeeding him as party president, but the issue would also be driven by a sense of comfort among ANC members.

“If they said “Well, we want you to continue”, then it”s fine. It depends – two-and-a-half years is a long way ahead. I might be too tired by then,” Mbeki said.

Speaking out – for the first time since he fired Zuma three weeks ago – against the often heated demonstrations in support of the former deputy president, Mbeki slammed Zuma”s supporters for conduct that was “quite abnormal” and “quite alien” for ANC members.

Mbeki thrice reminded delegates to the ANC conference of the oath which they had taken upon joining the party, including that they would defend the unity and integrity of the organisation.

“Of course, you know that over recent days there has been some controversy around issues affecting the ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma, and people engaging in demonstrations and so on, and I thought even in that context it was important that these members of the ANC should remember how members of the ANC should behave,” he said.

Referring to discussions at the conference, Mbeki said: “The issue that arose was some of the campaigning “Jacob Zuma for President”e(162)¢ and things like that which are quite abnormal for the ANC. I thought it was important that people be reminded that this is an organisation to which they belong and need to express their views in ways that were different from that.”

Just days after criminal charges were laid against Zuma, Mbeki also hit out at corruption and warned delegates during his closing address against the ANC being used as a vehicle for criminal activity.

This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Times on July 04, 2005

Source: Independent Online (IOL)
URL: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click…br>