News just in. It seems the ANC in all their wisdom have announced the name of the individual who will be picking up the reigns of this beloved country and steering it the way he sees fit. Right, now let’s see who this chap is.
Kgalema Motlanthe is the man of the moment. “Who?” I hear people ask (or maybe that’s just me), so I will try and do a bit of scratching around.
Motlanthe (right) as placeholder president for Zuma (left)
First result, from our good old faithful Wikipedia. This is what they have to say about him (Click here). Isn’t it incredible that it didn’t take Inspector Clueso to find the word “corruption” associated with this man:
In February 2006, auditors revealed that a total of about R2 billion in loans by the Land Bank, a government institution established to help farmers, had gone sour. Earlier, a R800 million (about $112 million) 10 year loan was given to Pamodzi Investment Holdings, a company whose shareholders include Motlanthe. This amounted to nearly one-third of the Land Bank’s total assets, and was a non-agricultural investment. There is no suggestion that this particular loan was non-performing. Pamodzi chief executive Ndaba Ntsele denies there was any wrongdoing. The government has since fired the Land Bank chairman and agreed to inject R700 million to keep the Land Bank operative.
Here’s what The Times had to say about him:
“Motlanthe has repeatedly said that his job was to “accurately and as faithfully as possible” reflect the views of the membership.
This seems to have put him on a collision course with Mbeki.”
“The calm, respected, trust-inspiring 59-year-old Motlanthe would be given the go-ahead if the race between Zuma and Mbeki turned bitter, bloody or divisive.
If it came to that, the left, Cosatu, the SACP and the Youth League are likely to endorse his candidacy enthusiastically.”
A bit more about the whole situation from the UK paper, The Telegraph
“Motlanthe will be the president, not interim, he will be the president of the republic until the election,” a party spokesman told a major news agency.
Mr Motlanthe was appointed to the cabinet in July after defying Mr Mbeki to defend Mr Zuma in a corruption trial and is a possible choice for the deputy president if Mr Zuma wins next April’s election.
The 58-year-old leftist intellectual was a student activist, trade unionist and soldier in the ANC’s military wing UmKhonto we Sizwe – for which he was imprisoned with Nelson Mandela during white rule.”
“The real cause for concern this morning, as we continue to digest these big events, is that the ANC has put the party before the people on this account, in a move that will have serious and long term consequences for us all”.
Kgalema Motlanthe is to be sworn in as acting president of South Africa. Lindiwe Sisulu will be acting deputy president.
