Over the last couple of years, we had gotten so used to seeing Miranda Strydom reporting on the SABC where ever Thabo Mbeki was. When Mbeki was oversea’s we would be updated about what is going on via the SABC and at the end of the report you would hear, “Miranda Strydom from (where ever they are at that time)”. Virtually anything to do with Mbeki, Miranda Strydom would be the one reporting on it. Now that Mbeki is no longer president of South Africa, where does that leave Miranda?It is understood that Miranda is an employee of the SABC and her job was to report on the presidency. Therefore, it only makes sense that she would continue on and do the same job she did for President Motlanthe.  Or maybe the SABC will decide to bring in a new face for Motlanthe as we had all gotten so used to Miranda reporting for Mbeki. I guess we just have to wait and see what happens.

Last night (Sunday 28 September), South Africa’s new President gave his first address to the nation in a live TV broadcast. This is what he had to say:

Fellow South Africans,
I am deeply honoured and privileged to address you this evening as your President.

Before I continue with my message I would like to pay my last respects to Mrs Nomkitha Virginia Mashinini, mother of Tsietsi Mashinini, the leader of the 1976 Soweto students uprising, who has just left us.

Allow me, on your behalf to convey our condolences to her children and the Mashinini family. May her soul rest in peace!

Fellow South Africans,

Our country is emerging from one of the most difficult weeks in the history of our young democracy. It has been a week of uncertainty and doubt, hurt and anger. Yet, it is at moments like this that the true character of our nation emerges. Read the rest of this entry »

With all the political drama taking place in South Africa, the spotlight had been taken off Zimbabwe. So with that said, let us take a look at what the latest scenario in Zimbabwe is. Well as we know, a deal between Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara was signed thanks to Thabo Mbeki but still there have not agreed on who is in charge of which ministry in the new government. The parties are still busy fighting about who will be incharge of which ministry as everyone wants to be incharge of the ‘power seats’, namely Finance, Agricultre and Home Affairs. Mugabe’s Zanu-PF obviously wants these posts but Tsvangirai knows that for the country to move forward, the MDC needs to be incharge of these seats and govern them well so that international aid can come into Zimbabwe. Read the rest of this entry »

New South Africa President, Kgalema Motlanthe has named his new cabinet. Probably the biggest cheer in the National Assembly when Motlanthe was naming his cabinet was when he named Trevor Manuel as the Minister of Finance. Many had feared that Manuel would walk away from the position after tendering his resignation when former President Thabo Mebki resigned. But Manuel then went on to say he would be available for the position if chosen by the new leader and subsequently Motlanthe has stuck to Trevor Manuel to continue doing the job he is doing in arguably the most important ministry in the country.

President Kgalema Motlanthe also named Baleka Mbete as his deputy president. Read the rest of this entry »

What many of us expected happened today; ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe was duly elected in the National Assembly as South Africa’s next president to replace Thabo Mbeki, who resigned after being “recalled” by the party. Motlanthe garnered 269 votes against the 50 votes cast for the only other nominee, Democratic Alliance chairperson Joe Seremane. There were 41 spoilt ballots (One wonders how there can be such a large number of spoilt ballots?)

The ANC says Motlanthe’s election to the country’s highest seat sends a signal to the country and the international community of the ANC’s commitment to maintain stability and continuity in government. Party spokesperson Jesse Duarte says Motlanthe belongs to a group of leaders who have always put the needs of the country and its people first.

It is a new dawn in South Africa today. What will Motlante bring to the leadership of the country? Is he going to outshine Thabo Mbeki in the short time he has until the 2009 elections? Is he just going to keep it simple? Or is he going to try make a mark for himself in the time he has available? Many questions remain to be answered. What do you think of Motlante as the new president?

Fellow South Africans,

I have no doubt that you are aware of the announcement made yesterday by the National Executive Committee of the ANC with regard to the position of the President of the Republic.

Accordingly, I would like to take this opportunity to inform the nation that today I handed a letter to the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Honourable Baleka Mbete, to tender my resignation from the high position of President of the Republic of South Africa, effective from the day that will be determined by the National Assembly. Read the rest of this entry »

Last night (21 September 2008), South Africa’s President, Thabo Mbeki resigned. Mbeki’s resignation will become effective at a date to be determined by the National Assembly. The President will remain in office until the National Assembly accepts his resignation and determines his date of departure. The ANC is expected to announce its preferred candidate for Acting President today (Monday). The Acting President is then expected to convene Cabinet in terms of the Constitution. The African National Congress (ANC) had asked Mbeki to quit before the end of his term next year, eight days after a judge threw out corruption charges against party leader Jacob Zuma, suggesting there was high-level political meddling in the case.

Parliamentary speaker Baleka Mbete is expected to be given the job of acting president. Jacob Zuma, who holds no government post, is unlikely to have such an interim role and is all but certain to become head of state in 2009 elections. Zuma is scheduled to have a news briefing today at 12:00 and it will be very interesting to hear what he has to say in the aftermath of the most testing time in South Africa politics since 1994.

We had the opportunity to hear from a political commentator with regards to what they thought about the Zimababwe deal signed yesterday. This is what they had to say:
“To me, there’s not much substance to this agreement. For one thing it almost seems like ZANU-PF were more concerned about getting the other parties to admit to their “faults” in writing for the world to see and for the other parties to agree that ZANU-PF was right all along…..it’s all the fault of the west and whites. Secondly, a lot of it is going to be based on good faith between the parties because it’s written in very broad terms and in a lot of instances, how this power sharing is actually meant to work practically is left to the parties to decide at some unspecified future point. For example the split in executive power between the President and the Prime Minister is not made clear at all, who is actually in charge of what here? Read the rest of this entry »