President Thabo Mbeki will on Saturday deliver a keynote speech during celebrations to mark the African National Congress’s (ANC) 95th anniversary as South Africa’s ruling party prepares to elect a new leader later this year.
The speech in the eastern province of Mpumalanga should be the last anniversary address made by Mbeki as president of the ANC unless he seeks an unprecedented third term at the party’s conference.
With Mbeki keen to avoid being succeeded by his arch rival and ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma, observers are increasingly tipping Mbeki to extend his tenure and will be watching carefully for him to drop hints about his future.
The position of ANC president is usually regarded as the stepping stone to the leadership of the country.
Mbeki is not due to stand down as head of state until 2009 but he is well aware his authority would be severely undermined if Zuma, whom he sacked from government over corruption allegations in 2005, were to become the ANC supremo.
Party spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama gave few indications about the contents of Mbeki’s address in a briefing to reporters.
”As in the past, this year’s statement will analyse the state of the nation and progress of the struggle to achieve the objectives of the liberation of all South Africans,” Ngonyama said.
”The statement identifies the key objectives and tasks for the democratic movement in the year ahead.”
However, in a sign of the increasingly fevered atmosphere over the succession issue, Zuma’s supporters also held a press conference this week in which they denounced newspaper speculation that efforts were being made within the party to find a compromise candidate.
More than 20 000 people are expected to attend the rally, which is being held in a football stadium in the town of Witbank.
Two recent speeches by Mbeki have been interrupted by ANC followers, with Zuma supporters widely blamed as the culprits.
Ngonyama denied reports that the crowd was being vetted and said he did not expect Mbeki to be interrupted this time around.
”We don’t anticipate it to happen again,” he said.
‘Spurious’ reports
Earlier this week, businessman Tokyo Sexwale rejected as ”kite-flying” reports that he had been asked to run for the position of ANC president.
”The articles are spurious,” he said through a spokesperson on Monday. ”They are kite-flying, nothing more than a red herring, and we treat them with disdain.”
Senior Cabinet minister Essop Pahad, who reportedly approached Sexwale, also issued a denial on Monday.
”We seem to be entering an extended silly season of wild reporting about the presidential succession stakes,” he said.
Last weekend, the Sunday Times said Sexwale had been approached by senior Cabinet ministers to run for the position of ANC president. — AFP, Sapa