Today I will be looking at Thabo Mbeki’s Domestic and Foreign Policies, following on from yesterdays insight into his legacy regarding his governance and the economy.

Domestic Policy: Grade-D. Mbeki has not done a great job on domestic policy. He has allowed the economy to flourish at the expense of cross-class employment. Education, health care and safety have remained the same and in some cases have become worse. I feel he has been too focused on trying to be an African Prime Minister thus failing in his domestic responsibilities. I do think Mbeki could have been able to concentrate on both Africa and South Africa if he had the right people in charge of government departments. Some ministries have been run like small spaza shops. For instance the Ministry of Home Affairs is pathetic. There are many a horror story on lost ID documents, Driver’s Licences for sale and many other issues. Mbeki should have taken this ministry more seriously and put the right people in charge. He has tried in education but his actions and policies still leave much to be desired. I don not think Mbeki will be judged on his domestic policy, South Africa should however realise that domestic policy is the most important policy in any government. I am disappointed that in some areas of the country it is still like Apartheid. The people wanted more and they deserved more.

Foreign Policy (Ex-Zimbabwe): Grade-B+. Mbeki has many a success in resolving difficult and complex issues on the African continent. I was particularly impressed in how he dealt with Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and to a certain extent Ivory Coast. He brokered some important peace agreements throughout his tenure. He oversaw the transition from the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to the African Union (AU). He tried to build African economic consensus through NEPAD. However, he has failed to bridge the divide between South Africa and the rest of Africa. South Africa is still seen an island on Africa. He failed to adequately deal with Xenophobia and I think he became a bit arrogant in trying to be the Premier of Africa. Outside Africa, Mbeki is just another African leader. He has garnered some respect in the west. But I think his insistent need to go to the G8 and G7 to ask for money has been embarrassing. He fails to realise that African problems can only be resolved by Africa alone and not with the help and/or guidance of the west, who don’t have African interests at heart. He has found some success building economic bridges to BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations.

Tomorrow I will be continuing my insight into the Mbeki Legacy by looking at how the president handled Zimbabwe and Safety and Security policies.

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