A Simple Man by Ronnie Kasrils

Author:Ronnie Kasrils
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781431426386
Publisher: Jacana Media
Published: 2017-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Undoubtedly Mbeki’s second question was meant to prompt the conference into reflecting on the consequences of electing into the ANC’s highest office a candidate so flawed that the outcome for the organisation could be and would be extremely grave, if not catastrophic. That was relying on an appeal to the intellect rather than the heart of the delegates.

Over the next days the ANC went through the rituals of discussing policy in the various commissions. It was during this time that groups were called to cast their votes. All minds were on the election results: policy issues, as vital as they were, came (except for the purists) a very poor second. By the time these were announced, tension had reached fever pitch. Zuma received 2,329 votes to Mbeki’s 1,505 – a difference of 824 – and his supporters went ballistic. If we had managed to turn 413 voters, Mbeki would have pipped Zuma: by no means an impossibility. What hurt was not the frenzy of the crowd, the crowing at the losers, people gyrating in triumph or the general pandemonium, but the sight of Thabo Mbeki, which became etched in my mind. It has been said elsewhere, by Mosibudi Mangena, the Azapo leader and former cabinet minister, that Mbeki in adversity ‘was a study in calmness, discipline and dignity … dead calm in the eye of the storm’.12 That was exactly how it struck me at Polokwane that fateful day. He walked over to congratulate Jacob Zuma, the ANC president-elect. It was a slow walk, he must have been hurting deeply, but the rational intellect of the man provided distance from the moment and I am sure that is how he was able to cope – then and later. Mbeki’s entire bearing was honourable, dignified, stoic, brave, although the light had disappeared from his complexion and his face was ashen. He shook Zuma’s hand and cordially embraced him. At last Zuma was at ease. He had reached the second top rung of the ladder. The country’s presidency awaited him. That relaxed image of Jacob Zuma would be rarely seen again in the years ahead if one discounted his muscular but superficial joviality. I put on a brave face and, when interviewed, tried to be upbeat, explaining that the event showed the democratic process at work.13

Polokwane saw the beginning of possibly an irretrievable rot in the ANC. At Polokwane the faction that sought to unseat Mbeki did so at all costs. By hook or by crook they fanned the flames of anger and disunity; encouraged disrespect and thuggish behaviour; tampered with the nomination of delegates at branch level; flooded the conference with instant recruits whose political understanding was negligible; allegedly bought the votes of delegates with cash; and sought to settle old scores. The last thing on their minds was the open wounds inflicted on the ANC and the country. If some of the Mbeki supporters used some such methods, and I did pick up indications of the buying of votes on our side, it was not the wholesale machination and intimidatory tactics used by the Zumaites.

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