SOUTH Africa has entered an uncomfortable eighteen months of political uncertainty.
As of today, the country is living with the much speculated about phenomenon of “two centers of power”.
Jacob Zuma is ANC president while Thabo Mbeki remains president of the country.
It is not the first time that this has occurred. In 1999, Nelson Mandela continued as president after Mbeki had been made ANC president.
But that was different. Mbeki was the sole candidate for president and the party was united behind him despite Mandela’s failure to give him a ringing endorsement.
South Africa barely noticed that it had two political leaders as Mbeki had by then assumed many of the duties of state from Mandela.
This time around, the president of the country, Mbeki and the ANC president, Zuma, are bitter enemies.
Zuma took power in the party on Tuesday night following two years of vicious faction fighting during which supporters of both men were alarmingly ad-hominem and vicious in their assessment of their opponents.
The stage is set for government to grind to a halt as Zuma demands that Mbeki run big decisions by him before implementation.
Exactly how law-making, the appointment of senior officials and day-to-day decisions will take place will have to be worked out between Mbeki and Zuma.
How will a decision to prosecute Zuma by the Scorpions play in such an environment.
Zuma might insist that such a decision enjoy the same “review” process undertaken for Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi.
Would Mbeki accede to such a request? And if he did, what effect would this have on the integrity of crime-fighting institutions.
Mbeki and Zuma have entered uncharted waters. They must quickly work our a modus operandi that enjoys public confidence.

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