Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
3 October 2008
Milan — The nine years of the presidency of Thabo Mbeki were years of democratic success, economic development, stability and direct commitment to peace in the continent, according to the Archbishop of Johannesburg, Buti Tlhagale.
"Mbeki leaves a great legacy, which is wealth for the entire nation that will not be dissipated. The upsetting fact was the way in which the African National Congress (ANC) decided and handled the end of an experience, just a few months from the natural conclusion of his term, " Archbishop Tlhagale, also president of the Southern African Bishops' Conference, said.
Speaking in Milan, Italy, where he was attending an initiative organised by the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions, the Ambrosian Archdiocese and 'Mondo e Missione' magazine, the archbishop said it would have been more opportune to wait, and to avoid a no-confidence vote in parliament.
But Mbeki's ouster was "a critical situation that nevertheless reflected the concrete and visible degree of strength of South Africa's democracy", explained Tlhagale.
"The standoff between the new ANC leader, Jacob Zuma and Mbeki unfolded in a political context, never allowing space for violence and/or other extreme demonstrations. Despite fears and the tones of some international media, our nation lived with intensity the political crisis, and first steps of the caretaker President Kgalema Motlanthe are all in, sign of continuity".
Mbeki's government did many things that for the most part remain unknown outside South African borders, the archbishop said. "Schools were, for example, built throughout the country, even in the smallest of villages; much was done for the distribution of drinking water; housing was built for the poor. One of the few shortcomings was that more should have been done against the spread of AIDS".
The archbishop also commended Mbeki's diplomacy: "They were nine extremely positive years also in the promotion of South Africa as a peace force in Rwanda, Sudan, Congo and Zimbabwe. Whoever takes government after the next elections will have the duty to follow up on what was done, though I am certain that Mbeki will remain a key figure in the development of the country and continent".
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