I was very inspired when Kgalema Motlanthe was chosen as our new president.

I was very inspired when Kgalema Motlanthe was chosen as our new president.

I had been saying for years that he would be our next president. I thought it a wise compromise by the Jacob Zuma camp to elect him as president. However, as a Motlanthe supporter I am now deeply disappointed by his actions or lack thereof. There have been real opportunities for him to make a name for himself and leave a great legacy even if his stay will be a short one.

South Africans have been disappointed by the way in which the ruling party has dealt with its internal affairs, corruption, crime, health, racial divisions and the rule of law. This has left a vacuum for some knight in shining armour to come and allay the fears of the majority of our poor people.

I hope that Motlanthe will rise and shine and show the people that are making him out to be a puppet of Zuma's camp that he has a mind of his own, that his objective is to create stability, growth, unity and most importantly to stamp out corruption.

The only way Motlanthe can do so is by showing the ANC how to be more transparent by setting up an independent commission of inquiry into the arms deal, do what is right around the Pikoli/Selebi issues by taking decisive and not divisive action and by becoming a formidable player in the Zimbabwe crisis. He can still make a name for him.

Darren Bergman, Illovo