Mbeki gives Cyril fire power for Zuma

Former president Thabo Mbeki has never been comfortable in the limelight, especially when it comes to the party politics of the ANC. That is why his remarks this week carry such weight.

Speaking at the Eastern Cape ANC’s extended provincial executive committee meeting in East London, Mbeki pulled no punches in his assessment of the current state of the ANC.

Nor was he at all reticent in declaring that, after many years, he is once again prepared to campaign on behalf of the organisation.

During the Jacob Zuma years, Mbeki virtually disappeared from public life, only emerging to make it plain he believed the organisation was being led astray by the likes of Zuma.

He was well aware that any criticism of Zuma from him could be dismissed as sour grapes – because he was effectively “overthrown” by Zuma and his allies in the unions and the ANC Youth and Women’s Leagues.

However, now that the looting of the state capture years is plain for anyone to see, Mbeki need not be as wary of a counterattack.

In reality, in comparison to the damage done by the Zuma camp, Mbeki – despite all his many faults – is still a reminder of the “good old days” when he occupied the seat at Union Buildings. He made the point in East London that he was not prepared to campaign for the ANC during the Zuma period because its claim that it had a “good story to tell” was plainly not true.

The ANC’s new manifesto, compiled under its new leader, Cyril Ramaphosa, acknowledges the mistakes, says Mbeki.

His reappearance on the national political stage, clearly backing Ramaphosa, gives the president a powerful weapon in the ongoing fight against the bittereinders of the Zuma faction, who refuse to go quietly into the political night.