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All this nostalgia for Mbeki is based on our short memories

Killing growth: Thabo Mbeki. PHOTO: SIMPHIWE NKWALI
Killing growth: Thabo Mbeki. PHOTO: SIMPHIWE NKWALI

AM I the only person who thinks that the nostalgia for Thabo Mbeki is nauseating?

First was Julius Malema and his new-found realisation that Mbeki was the greatest leader the ANC has ever had.

Didn't the same Malema bark Mbeki out of the presidency?

The media are full of Mbeki and his great wisdom which I simply can't understand.

Currently, Frank Chikane's book is whipping up a frenzy on how badly Mbeki was treated by his comrades. Mbeki is now a perfect victim.

At the launch of the book Chikane staged a veiled attack on the current leadership in a speech that derided corruption and called the nation to battle against the incumbents.

All this nostalgia for Mbeki is based on the short memories of our people and the lack of critical analysis from opinion makers.

The genius of the "let's get Mbeki back" brigade is that they appeal to the emotion and very low threshold of judgment based on comparing Mbeki and Zuma.

But also there is a hypocrisy here, the way Mbeki is treated is as if he suffered more than his victims, including Zuma himself. We all know that Zuma was "released" from his job on spurious grounds.

The problem here is that our politics have been Americanised.

We are invited to agonise on the personal emotional pain suffered by the feuding personalities.

This is the problem of glamorisation of politics and reducing public servants and representatives to celebrities.

I really don't care how Mbeki felt the day after he was deposed from power.

I'm more interested to know what did Mbeki do with power to serve the people of South Africa and to end the bitter brutal legacy of apartheid and colonialism.

If we move away from the selective Americanised articulation of politics to a more broader assessment we shall see that it was not the Zuma administration that started the current rot.

In fact, all of Mbeki's main policies continue up today with devastating consequences on the majority of our people - from the destruction of black education, healthcare, to worse than the apartheid housing policy that has given us the RDP houses.

Under Mbeki we saw the legalised theft in the form of the tenders epitomised by the arms deal, which privatised social goods to entrench an apartheid reality of the two nations he decried. The two nations that Mbeki complained about was in a considerable part the outcomes of his Gear policy, which privileged money instead of people and has essentially created two South Africas, the public, which is catastrophic, and the private, which works well for the elite, from schools, hospitals, transport and housing.

Yes, Zuma's administration is disastrous for our country but I refuse to shed a tear for the main architect of the current mess.

  • Mngxitama will join the September National Imbizo tomorrow in Sharpeville to promote the Politicians and Public Servants Use Public Services campaign
     
  • SA LEADERSHIP DEBATE:  On Monday, Sowetan launched a debate about political leadership in South Africa. The debate began by critically assessing the leadership of President Jacob Zuma.
    Top political commentators and analysts are participating in the debate as it progresses, so keep an eye on the paper to read what they have to say.
    Our readers will be able to join the debate, by emailing tellus@sowetan.co.za. The best letters may be considered for publication.

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