Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel is not interested in becoming South Africa’s next president or deputy president.
In the October edition of Afrikaans niche magazine Insig (Insight), Manuel said he loved his freedom too much to take up the country’s top post.
”I have been a minister for 12 years and am pretty free … I’m not interested in the position as president or deputy president, not because of my race or that I might not be competent enough; I’m just very attached to my freedom,” he told the magazine.
He said a good example of giving up some of his freedom is to play golf on a Sunday with a bunch of bodyguards.
”The president and deputy president do not have any freedom. Before they could do anything, even shopping, they [security] send out dogs and that just does not fit in with my lifestyle.”
Manuel said shortly after the then deputy president Jacob Zuma was fired from his post by President Thabo Mbeki last year, he was sitting in a restaurant with one of his sons, one of whom urged him to take up the position.
”I told him that while we could enjoy our food that day in relative calm, we would not be able to do so if I was the deputy president. He then said to me if they offered I should not take it,” Manuel said.
He said his race has nothing to do with it and said the proof lies in his election to the African National Congress executive committee at the 2002 congress where he received the most votes of all the candidates.
Manuel, however, stressed that he was still happy serving as Minister of Finance.
”It is a wonderful opportunity to serve my country and its people, I don’t know when it would end …” — Sapa