Who do you want as South Africas next President?
..............................................................................................................
As you all know the presidential succession debate in South Africa continues to be the most talked about topic in South Africa. In the past, it has been customary for the Deputy President of the ANC to succeed the President, but when President Mbeki sacked his deputy (Jacob Zuma) following the verdict in the Schabir Shaik trial, the issue of the presidential succession is suddenly back in public domain.
A number of possible candidates have been suggested: Jacob Zuma, Thabo Mbeki, Tokyo Sexwale, Mosioua 'terror' Lekota, Kgalema Motlanthe, Trevor Manuel, Cyril Ramaphosa.
Welcome to have your say
Jacob Zuma
Short Profiles
Deputy President of the ANC (since 1997)
Member of ANC NWC, NEC
Former Deputy President in the South African Government (1999-2005)
Jacob Zuma was born on 12 April 1942 in Inkandla, KwaZulu-Natal Province.
His father died at the end of World War II, after which his mother took up employment as a domestic worker in Durban. He spent his childhood moving between Zululand and the suburbs of Durban, and by age 15 took on odd jobs to supplement his mother?s income.
He became involved in politics at an early age and joined the African National Congress in 1959. He became an active member of Umkhonto We Sizwe in 1962, following the banning of the ANC in 1960.
While on his way out of the country in 1963, he was arrested with a group of 45 recruits near Zeerust in what was then the western Transvaal (now the Northern West Province). Convicted of conspiring to overthrow the government, he was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, which he served on Robben Island.
He left South Africa in 1975 and for the next 12 years, based first in Swaziland and then Mozambique, dealt with thousands of young exiles who poured out of South Africa in the wake of the Soweto uprising.
In January 1994, he was nominated as the ANC candidate for the Premiership of the KZN province. He is generally regarded as the person most instrumental in achieving the peace that is now enjoyed by the people of KZN and in October 1998 he was honoured with the Nelson Mandela Award for Outstanding Leadership in Washington DC, USA.
Thabo Mbeki
President of South Africa
President, ANC
Member, National Executive Committee, ANC
Member, National Working Committee, ANC
Former Deputy President, Government of National Unity
People like to identify Thabo Mbeki as an independent and original thinker, but one who remains close to the more visible leadership. His profile as a policy shaper and mediator in the movement has been built up over a lifetime of involvement. "I was born into the struggle," he says. His birth took place in Idutywa, Transkei, in June 1942.
Both his parents were teachers and activists. His father is a university graduate and there were many books in his home which Thabo read at an early age. Govan Mbeki was a leading figure in ANC activities in the Eastern Cape. Believing that sooner or later they would be arrested, Mbeki's parents decided that family and friends would also be responsible for bringing up the children. Mbeki therefore spent long periods away from home.
He joined the Youth League at 14 and quickly became active in student politics. After his schooling at Lovedale was interrupted by a strike in 1959, he completed his studies at home. Thereafter he moved to Johannesburg where he came under the guidance of Walter Sisulu and Duma Nokwe.
He left the country in 1962 under orders from the ANC. From Tanzania he moved to Britain where he completed a Masters degree in economics at Sussex University in 1966. Remaining active in student politics, he played a prominent role in building the youth and student sections of the ANC in exile.
Mbeki was hand-picked by Nelson Mandela after the April 1994 general election to be the first Deputy President of the new Government of National Unity.
Tokyo Sexwale
Mosima Gabriel Sexwale (born 5 March 1953), commonly known as Tokyo Sexwale, is a South African businessman and former politician, anti-apartheid activist, and political prisoner.
His nickname of "Tokyo" is derived from his involvement with the sport of karate as a youth.
A charismatic leader, Sexwale was imprisoned on Robben Island for his anti-apartheid activities, alongside figures such as Nelson Mandela. After the 1994 general election—the first universal franchise election in South Africa—Sexwale became the premier of Gauteng Province. He retired from politics in 1998 and subsequently became a major business leader. Sexwale is married to Judy Moon; they have two children, Gabrielle and Chris.
Upon his return to South Africa in 1976, Sexwale was captured after a skirmish with the South African security forces and, along with 11 others, was charged and later convicted of terrorism and conspiracy to overthrow the government after an almost two-year long trial in the Pretoria Supreme Court. In 1977, Sexwale was sent to the Robben Island maximum-security prison to serve an 18-year sentence.
After his release, Sexwale returned to Johannesburg, where he served as head of the public liaison department of the African National Congress Headquarters. He was subsequently appointed the head of special projects, reporting to the ANC's military headquarters. In September 1990, he was elected as a member of the executive committee of the ANC in the Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging (PWV) region. He became the chairperson of the ANC in the PWV region in 1991, a position he held until his resignation in late 1997.
Upon leaving the public sector, Sexwale founded Mvelaphanda Holdings (mvelaphanda is the Venda word for "progress"), a company of which he is still executive chairman.
Sexwale has become a major player in the diamond industry, with his company reportedly being the third biggest after De Beers and JFPI Corporation.
Mosioua 'terror' Lekota
Chairman: ANC; Member: ANC National Executive Committee (NEC); Minister: Defence; Member of Parliament: ANC: National Assembly.
Date of Birth 13/08/1948 Place of Birth Senekal District, Free State
Lekota was born in Kroonstad on August 13 1948. He was the eldest of seven children in a working-class family. He did his schooling mainly in Kroonstad, but matriculated from St Francis College, Mariannhill, in 1969. Steve Biko had passed through this school just a few years earlier.
In September 1974, when SASO began to organise rallies to celebrate the independence of Mozambique, the state stepped in. Lekota was arrested, along with eight other SASO leaders, including Saths Cooper and Strini Moodley, and charged under the Terrorism Act. In the trial that followed he was sentenced to six years in prison, which he served on Robben Island. He was released at the end of 1982.
On the Island Lekota shared the company and experience of the ANC's imprisoned leaders. Like many other black consciousness adherents, his political beliefs moved towards non-racialism. On August 20 1983, exactly eight months after his release from prison, he attended the national launch of the UDF and was elected national publicity secretary. As he afterwards confessed, it was not an easy task.
After the unbanning of the ANC, Lekota spent time as first chairperson of the Southern Natal region, then chairperson of the Northern Free State region. He was elected on to the NEC in 1991.
It's strange that such a warm and caring man should have the nickname "Terror". In fact, he did not get this name in the political arena as many people think, but on the sports field. As a soccer player his boot struck terror into the heart of the bravest goalkeeper.
From 1994 until 1996 Lekota was the first Premier of the Free State province. He was chosen to be the first Chairperson of the new National Council of Provinces when it convened in February 1997.
Kgalema Mothlanthe
Chair: ANC Gauteng region; In 1967 he was detained for 11 months.; In 1977 he was again sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
Motlanthe grew up influenced by the revolutionary ideologies of the Black Consciousness Movement which was led by Steven Bantu Biko. He was detained by Apartheid Government in 1977 the year after the infamous 1976 Soweto student uprising at the age of 28.
In 1976 he was detained for 11 months for pursuing the aims of the liberation movement African National Congress. He was later sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on Robben Island. Shortly after his release he was elected Secretary-General of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). In 1997 when politician-businessman Cyril Ramaphosa retired from politics, Kgalema was elected Secretary-General of the ANC.
Trevor Manuel
Minister of Finance (since June 1999)
Member ANC NEC, NWC (since 1991)
Former minister of Trade and Industry (1994 - 3 April 1996)
Former Advisory Committee of the UN Initiative for Trade Efficiency (August 1994)
Trevor Manuel was born in Cape Town in January 1956 the son of an employee ofthe Cape Town City Council.
After matriculating in 1973 Manuel worked as a civil engineering technician until 1981.
He was involved in the founding of the UDF in the Western Cape and subsequently became the regional secretary of the UDF. At the national launch of the UDF he was elected to the national executive.
In September 1985 Manuel was detained and then banned until 31 August 1990. However, Manuel's ban was lifted on 25 March 1986 after it was ruled that it was not in line with the provisions of the Internal Security Act.
On the 15 August 1986 Manuel was again detained under the emergency regulations for almost two years until July 1988. He was released from detention under severe restrictions but promtly detained again in September 1988 this time until February 1989. His realease came with stringent restriction orders.
After the unbanning of the African National Congress (ANC) Manuel was appointed deputy co-ordinator in the Western Cape Province. At the ANC's first regional conference in 1990 Manuel was elected publicity secretary. At the ANC's 1991 national conference Manuel was elected to the National Executive Committee. In 1992 Manuel became head of the ANC's Department of Economic Planning. Manuel was elected as an ANC Member of Parliament in 1994 and was appointed by President Nelson Mandela as Minister of Trade and Industry, and in 1996 as Minister of Finance.
The World Economic Forum selected Manuel as a "Global Leader for Tomorrow" in 1994, and he has received numerous international awards and recognition for his accomplishments. He is regarded highly by a broad section of the South African public and is widely viewed as one of the most competent South African ministers.
Cyril Ramaphosa
Secretary General, ANC
Head, Negotiations Commission,
ANC Member, National Executive Committee,
ANC Member, National Working Committee
Chairman Constitutional Assembly)
Ramaphosa himself is regarded as one of the most important leaders in the ANC. His election to the position of secretary general at the ANC Conference in June 1991 is proof of the faith members have in him.
Widely respected as a skilful and formidable negotiator and strategist, Ramaphosa is best known for the role he played in building the biggest and most powerful trade union in the country, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).
Ramaphosa was born in Soweto on 17 November 1952. After completing matric, he registered at the University of the North to study law in 1972. While at university Ramaphosa joined the South African Students Organisatio (SASO), and the Black Peoples' Convention (BPC).
In 1974 he was detained and held in solitary confinement for 11 months for his role in the organisation of pro-Frelimo rallies. In 1976 he was detained for a second time, and held for six months. During this time he began to question his role in the BPC, deciding that the "ideology of black consciousness had come full circle, it could take us no further".
Ramaphosa joined the Council of Unions of South Africa (CUSA) as a legal advisor. In 1982, CUSA requested that Ramaphosa start a union for mineworkers; this new union was launched in the same year and was named the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). Ramaphosa was arrested in Lebowa, on the charge of organising or planning to take part in a meeting in Namakgale which was banned by the local magistrate.
Ramaphosa was elected as the first General Secretary of the union, a position he held until he resigned in June 1991, following his election as Secretary General of the African National Congress (ANC). Under his leadership, union membership grew from 6,000 in 1982 to 300,000 in 1992, giving it control of nearly half of the total black workforce in the South African mining industry. As General Secretary, he also led the mineworkers in one of the biggest strikes ever in South African history.
View Profiles
Have your say Vote Now!!!
"The test of democracy is freedom of criticism." ~David Ben-Gurion
Selected quotes
"It is dangerous to be right, when those in power are wrong" -
Voltaire
"An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind." - M.K. Gandhi
"Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs." - Henry Ford
"Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress." -
Alfred A. Montapert
"A slave is one who waits for someone else to free him." - Rosellen Brown
"The test of democracy is freedom of criticism." ~David Ben-Gurion
Now we are asking you the public, to nominate your candidate for South Aficas future president before the ANC's 52nd national conference in December to be held in Limpopo, where the election of South Africa's future president lies in the hands of the 4 000 delegates with voting rights.
