Businessman Tokyo Sexwale confirmed he had been lobbied by African National Congress members to stand as party president but said he had not yet decided whether to do so.
”I’m not in the running yet because I told you there’s no track,” Sexwale told veteran broadcaster John Perlman on Perlman’s first talk show on Kaya FM on Monday evening.
”But when I am approached and people say we would want you to consider to be president, I am going to also have to ask, president in what context? What do you want me to do?
”If I am satisfied, I will give a positive answer.
”If not, I’m not desperate for the job.”
Sexwale confirmed that people within the ANC had been lobbying him for the position of party president.
”Absolutely,” he told Perlman.
”Lobbying is not prohibited in the ANC.”
Sexwale said he had told those who lobbied him what sort of candidate he would not be — such as saying he would not stand for tribalism, ethnicity or regionalism — but would not be drawn on what he would stand for.
”I believe in a kind of leadership that is very consultative but very decisive,” he said when asked what sort of leader he would be.
”I’m not desperate for this job, by the way,” said Sexwale, referring to both the ANC position and president of the country.
He said if he was approached once nominations for party
presidency opened, he would consider it.
Callers to the programme expressed support for Sexwale as ANC president.
When asked if a businessman could lead a party which campaigned for the poor, Sexwale said he came from the townships and remained true to his roots.
”Being in business doesn’t make me any less understanding of the question of the poor.”
Sexwale said South Africans wanted a country ”that works” rather than caring what class a leader came from.
”The size of my chequebook or the contents of my pockets don’t change my social consciousness. I stay with the people.”
Sexwale said the question of whether the ANC presidency and the country’s presidency should be held by different people was ”fraught with problems” and a matter for debate.
”You want to think very carefully before creating what has been called two centres of power. For now, it is not on the table.”
Asked by a caller why he was considering returning to politics, Sexwale said: ”I had never left politics, ever. I left government politics”, and that he remained a committed ANC member.
He described himself as ”accessible”, saying he had appeared regularly on radio talk shows when he was premier to respond to callers. – Sapa