Mbeki's ANC credentials 'solid'

January 14 2011 at 08:36am
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AP
"Former president Mbeki's membership of the African National Congress is well-known and his credentials within this context speak for themselves". Photo: AP
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Ousted president Thabo Mbeki's ANC credentials “speak for themselves”, his spokesman said in reaction to reports that he was directly involved in the formation of opposition party Cope.

“Former president Thabo Mbeki's office has previously received enquires resulting from and based on the recent Wikileaks cables,” his spokesman, Mukoni Ratshitanga, said in a statement released on Thursday evening.

“So far, there has been no need to respond to these inquiries.

“Mr. Mbeki's office will therefore not comment, except to point out that former president Mbeki's membership of the African National Congress is well-known and his credentials within this context speak for themselves.”

Beeld newspaper reported on Thursday that Mbeki had drafted the policy documents of the ANC breakaway party, the Congress of the People.

The newspaper said Ratshitanga declined to comment when approached by a Media24 journalist.

Its report was based on a secret US diplomatic note obtained by Media24, released by the website Wikileaks.

The note is dated December 5, 2008, and revolves around a meeting between a diplomat, the US embassy and a Unisa professor, Dirk Kotze.

According to the note, Mbeki, who was asked to resign as president by the ANC in September 2008, was involved in writing the policy documents.

Kotze reportedly told the US diplomat that Cope spokesman Smuts Ngonyama, a former spokesman for Mbeki, had said the policy document was drafted by Mbeki.

“Smuts made it very clear that the policy document had come from Mbeki,” said Kotze.

He added: “The document has all the characteristics of many of Mbeki's ANC letters.”

Both Kotze and Ngonyama denied the report, the Afrikaans daily said.

SABC radio news quoted Kotze on Thursday as saying the report was incorrect.

“They certainly misinterpreted the whole situation and therefore what is stated there at the moment, either by the journalist or by whatever other reports, it's certainly not a correct reflection of the situation,” Kotze told the public broadcaster. - Sapa

The Star

Comments by Sonny

Mbeki's political career was doomed from the start!

The denialist was just a token figure of the ANC.

Chris Hani would have made a better president!

He had a personal problem which was never addressed!

Politics through a fish bowl!

He has more interests in the Congo and Zimbabwe than he had in SA.

WikiLeaks

The truth sometimes comes out in weird ways!
Political Victims


Politicians are always victims
They thrive on corruption fraud deceit and lies
They always deserve the Lions share in the pot
They started floor crossing in parliament
They usually rig elections
They buy shady votes
They threaten their opposition with death
They eliminate all their adversaries
After all is said and done

They cry victim when they lose
What do they say about populism reparation tribalism and opportunism
They are a unique breed of hypocrites!
- Copyright (C) 2007 WEC