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Former President Thabo Mbeki has issued a stern warning to South Africans, urging them
not to elect the same individuals responsible for crippling state institutions. Addressing the
University of South Africa (Unisa) on Wednesday night, Mbeki aimed at former President
Jacob Zuma’s affiliation with the breakaway uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party.
“You can’t say I remain a member of the ANC, but I am going to support a party which is
going to campaign to defeat the ANC. That doesn’t make sense. One of those two things is
wrong,” Mbeki said, criticizing Zuma’s dual allegiances.
Zuma, announced as the MK Party’s presidential candidate for the upcoming general
elections, has also secured the top spot on the party’s National Assembly list, despite facing
potential ineligibility due to his criminal sentence.
Mbeki warned that the MK Party is led by the very individuals who orchestrated the
destruction of the South African Revenue Services (SARS) during Zuma’s presidency. “In
terms of these breakaways from the ANC, take that break away; you can understand that. It
is led by the same people who tried to destroy SARS. This is exactly the same people.”
Touching on the broader challenges posed by coalition governments and splinter parties,
Mbeki questioned the clarity of their visions. “The question we must ask is, where do we
want South Africa to be? In terms of employment, industrialization, and so on, we do not
know where we want political parties to be and who will get us there.”
He highlighted the disconnect between party manifestos and tangible plans, stating, “When
you read all the political party manifestos, all of them are saying we will get you there, but
who do you believe?”
Mbeki emphasized the need for a major political struggle grounded in a proper
understanding of the nation’s state, underscoring the importance of informed decision-
making in the forthcoming elections.