Thabo Mbeki: Is The Third Time Really The Charm?

It is an open secret that the ANC has been on the brink of its demise for the past 14+ years, former President Jacob Zuma's implication and participation in the State Capture seemed to worsen the state of the party & the confidence its constituency has. It seems to be common cause now that the party's top officials find themselves in hot water every now and then, one could even say it seems to be a rite of passage. It is therefore no surprise that people get so desperate for a level-headed leader with an actionable vision even if this sends us scrabbling at the past. 

My guess is that this is where the strong suggestion and yearning amongst some members of society who believe that former President Thabo Mbeki ought to return to the highest seat in the land comes from. Of course this would be impossible owing to section 88(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa which reads "no person may hold office as President for more than two terms, but when a person is elected to fill a vacancy in the office of President, the period between that election and the next election of a President is not regarded as a term." 

Let's put the Constitution aside, I know how ridiculous this sounds but we won't be looking at it from a constitutional standpoint so let's just rely on logic which this reasoning [that the former President comes back into office] is devoid of. 

Disclaimers are often put either in the introduction or at the very least, after the conclusion but since I am unconventional in my dealings, I will put mine here. It is important you keep in mind as you read this piece that I am a staunch Mbekist for various reasons, I have not yet come across anyone that possesses the level of intelligence and sheer brilliance that Mbeki possesses, his grasp of complex concepts is a wonder to me, I envy how he sees and carries himself and his approach to the world. Chief, he is the gods' gift to Africa in every sense of the word.

Back to the issue at hand, I do sympathize with those calling for the Mbeki's return, after all he is a sensible leader with an actual vision. He is an economist first before he is a politician & I think that's what's fuelling this yearning for his return to office, people are so desperate for a revival of the economy because our problems right now are not political but economical so who better for the job than the only economist we've had lead us? 

This desperation for a Saviour is valid  considering that we are a nation known for looking outward for being pulled out of the gutter but if the former President even entertains this idiocracy then it will show us a couple of things, that he did not learn anything from his ousting in 2008 because then it means there's still no one around him who can advise him with a voice of reason.

The very idea of staying in power this long or rather in this case for 3 terms (taking into account also that our Constitution does not provide for this) goes against the former President's life's work, he has dedicated a great part of his life to the prevention and mediation of conflicts throughout the continent which are, unsurprisingly, caused by dictatorial leaders with a refusal to leave office once they've been 'voted' in.

There have been a lot of political developments over the past 15 years that I believe would make it a bit harder for Mbeki to thrive now as he did then, for example we've since had a strong opposition party (the Economic Freedom Fighters) which seeks to challenge the government in power and government coalitions have become a thing now. This is something that was not as prominent during his tenure and I believe it's somewhat of an acceptance of defeat for a leader of his caliber to come into office to head ANC & DA coalitions. The possibility of an ANC & DA coalition under Mbeki's leadership now is both laughable and concerning. 

Most importantly, it will be an admission on Mbeki's part of, at best, his failure and at worst, his unwillingness to groom next generation leaders who'd assume power post his term or was this due to a possibility that there was no one to groom to begin with and would therefore mean the man cannot be faulted for such? 

I'm not exactly sure how any of this would make any logical sense to anyone and my suggestion would be for the former President to distance himself from these talks lest it further reinforces the idea that he has a sense of aloofness that convinces him that only he can properly lead the ANC & subsequently South Africa. I guess for some this is one of those "better the devil you know..." situations no matter how ridiculous it sounds.