Thabo Mbeki.
Though it was inappropriate for ANC members to use Nelson Mandela's memorial service on Tuesday to vent their anger at President Jacob Zuma, it is unlikely to damage the image of the country, former President Thabo Mbeki said.
In an interview with the Mail & Guardian on Thursday, Mbeki, speaking for the first time in public about the booing of Zuma, said the embarrassing incident would not have come as a surprise to the heads of state, including United States President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, or Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, as they were also politicians.
"I thought it [the booing] was a reflection of political tension within the ANC. It is an ANC matter. It did not belong to an occasion of such a nature. Maybe the ANC members thought it was an appropriate time to express their frustration [with Zuma's leadership].
"I don't think the incident will damage the image of the country because heads of state are politicians. I would imagine that they would understand that; even in their own countries, they might face similar situations. I am sure that they understood it was not a statement about Nelson Mandela or the occasion.
"Some [heads of states] might say, ‘This happened to me on some occasion at a public event back home'. Others might say, ‘We understand that, if there are problems in an organisation, you get that kind of manifestation'. I don't imagine it subtracted [from] their appreciation of the importance of the occasion."
Huge cheer for Mbeki
Although Zuma was booed, Mbeki received a huge cheer from the crowd at the FNB Stadium. Mbeki himself was subjected to the same embarrassment before the 2007 ANC conference after he was booed by Zuma's supporters in Durban.
Support for Zuma appears to have eroded since it emerged that the government spent more than R200-million of taxpayers' money to upgrade his homestead in Nkandla. Many within the ANC were also angered after a private jet carrying wedding guests of the Gupta family was allowed to land at the Waterkloof air force base.
In what might be construed as taking a swipe at Zuma, Mbeki on Tuesday told congregants during a Mandela memorial service at the Calvary Methodist Church in Midrand that leaders should serve the people rather than themselves.
"We must value that as commitment to principle. That we are in this [leadership position] because we want to achieve a goal [of improving the lives of the people]."
He said it was important that the country should take the issue of quality leadership seriously.
"The struggle we are faced with now is more complex [than before]. It is even more difficult to see who is an enemy. [In] this complex situation, that's when we need to raise the level of leadership. Surely, we can't lower the level of leadership. Let's all make the legacy of Mandela our own. That way, we will never go wrong."
Returning to local politics
But, Mbeki said, returning to local politics was the last thing on his mind. "After 2007, I said I don't want to be involved in partisan politics. There are bigger challenges in the continent and the world."