September 22 2008 at 06:51AM
By Political Bureau
A defiant President Thabo Mbeki bowed out from office on Sunday, proclaiming his innocence while pledging loyalty to the organisation that unceremoniously ousted him as head of state.
In a surprise turn of events, the ANC's preferred nominee to lead the country until next year's election appears to be party deputy president and Minister in the Presidency, Kgalema Motlanthe.
As speculation mounted on Sunday night, a new name was also thrown into the mix as deputy president - Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu - who has served in government since 1994 both as deputy and full member of the executive.
This has been suggested as an attempt to unite the party and maintain cohesion, amid threats of a split.
However, some within the ANC's National Executive Committee prefer National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete, who is also party chairman, to serve as caretaker president. In this scenario, Motlanthe would be her deputy.
On Sunday night, senior ANC leaders were still discussing the constitutional succession hierarchy and possible nominees for the top jobs.
The ANC's top six, including party president Jacob Zuma, who has remained out of the public eye since Friday, will announce South Africa's new presidential pair.
The ANC's parliamentary caucus will meet on Monday morning, where they will be officially informed of developments.
'The vicious way in which Mbeki was forced out by his enemies has shocked the nation'
At a special extended Cabinet meeting on Sunday - the last to be held by the Mbeki administration - Mbeki declined to accept the resignations of loyal ministers.
ANC treasurer-general Mathews Phosa said on Sunday night no one would be ousted from their posts in the executive, but the party could not stop those who wanted to join Mbeki in resigning.
The ANC wants to ensure that the country's administration does not collapse, given that it has to fight an election next year.
Mbeki sent his formal resignation to the National Assembly on Sunday after being told by top brass of the ANC on Saturday morning that the ruling party had decided to "recall" him from office.
Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka will take her cue from the party's leadership as to whether they want her to remain in government.
In terms of the Constitution, Mbeki's resignation letter must be forwarded to the Chief Justice by Mbete, in her capacity as National Speaker, who is obliged to set the date for the National Assembly to elect the new president.
Parliamentary officials said at least 48 hours would be required for the necessary notice to be given to the 400-member Assembly for the historic vote.
At the earliest the vote could be on Tuesday, although the House is also scheduled to sit in plenary session on Thursday.
The ANC's majority in the House would mean that whoever the party's nominee will be is assured of election.
In a 20-minute speech, a stoic Mbeki bade farewell to the country last night in a televised address.
The outgoing president "categorically" emphasised his and his Cabinet's innocence of any interference with the work of the National Prosecuting Authority.
This follows a judgment by Pietermaritzburg High Court judge Chris Nicholson which suggested there was reason to think such interference had occurred - the catalyst for the axing of Mbeki following a lengthy and intense deliberation by the ANC's National Executive Committee.
On Sunday night Mbeki said even on the "painful matter "involving the prosecution of ANC leader Jacob Zuma there had been no executive interference and his Cabinet had sought to uphold the integrity of the judiciary and not to violate the Constitution and law.
Mbeki criticised "gratuitous suggestions made seeking to impair the dignity" of his executive.
He spoke of his long history in the ANC and thanked the country for the opportunity to have served it for 14 years, first as deputy president and then as president.
Mbeki outlined the government's many achievements at home and abroad but said there remained a gulf between the rich and poor and much work remained to be done.
He spoke of the challenges and hopes of Africa and thanked other heads of state on the continent for their co-operation and support.
The address came shortly after a special Cabinet meeting in Pretoria on Sunday.
Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Finance Minister Trevor Manuel were absent as they are in New York for the UN General Assembly. Mbeki cancelled the trip.
Speaking during a debate on SABC 1's talk show Asikhulume, ANC treasurer-general Mathews Phosa said Mbeki had been sacked because the ANC had "lost confidence in him". In fact the "masses" had congratulated the ruling party for sacking Mbeki, Phosa said.
Defending the decision to "recall" Mbeki, Phosa said the ANC was within its rights to do so.
"We have the right to decide who shall lead us from time to time," he said.
On rumours that Mbeki's backers were planning to form a new political party, Phosa said the ANC was little perturbed by this.
"Let them come; we are not frightened by that; let them come," he said.
The ANC will brief its parliamentary caucus on the NEC's decision and the way forward on Monday.
The party will also meet newspaper editors, as well as church and other interest groups, within the "next seven days" to brief them, said Phosa.
Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille said on Sunday night that Mbeki used his live resignation speech on television as the opportunity to spell out the legacy for which he would like to be remembered and to set the record straight on Judge Chris Nicholson's inference that Mbeki may have interfered in the National Prosecuting Authority's prosecution of Zuma.
"This judgment gave the Zuma faction the reason it had been seeking for a long time to oust Mbeki and seize power so that they can impose a political solution to avoid Zuma having to face his day in court," she said.
"The incoming president must make a commitment that he or she will not interfere with the NPA's decision to appeal Judge Nicholson's judgment or any further efforts by the NPA to prosecute Jacob Zuma for the 783 alleged bribes he received. The vicious way in which Mbeki was forced out by his enemies has shocked the nation. As a result, the ANC stands irrevocably divided and so do its supporters. Ironically, President Mbeki spoke about the value of Ubuntu, which has clearly been denied to him by his own party," said Zille.
ID leader Patricia de Lille said Mbeki was making a "dignified" exit and he had tried to give South Africans the assurance that "everything will be okay".
"Mbeki is always so aloof. This was the first time I saw some emotion - some passion - in his address. He connected well with the people of this country tonight. The lesson for all politicians here is that you must never take for granted those who voted you into office."
She said Mbeki had paid a "heavy price" in the end for not appointing a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate arms deal corruption and that there was some irony in the fact that he - and not Zuma - was now the "highest profile casualty of the arms deal".
ACDP MP and justice spokesperson Steve Swart said the ANC had chosen what appeared to be the "least disruptive" constitutional manner of replacing Mbeki and thereby avoiding a messy constitutional crisis.
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa also paid tribute to Mbeki's success in achieving macro-economic stability. He said the speech was a challenge to his successor that suggested: I've done OK - now let's see if you can do better.
This article was originally published on page 1 of Pretoria News on September 22, 2008
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