Larry

Dont worry too much people. What we are currently undergoing is a normalisation of democracy. Opposing sides of the ruling party must contest their policies and leadership under seperate banners.
Just like the USA, we will have two strong political parties vying for control, and controlling each other’s excesses democratically in parliament, on behalf of all the people. Isnt that wonderful and a cause for celebration. Perhaps premature, but it will happen. This is why the ANC bigwigs are currently stuck in conference, thrashing things out.
The DA will be kingmaker, and may allign with whichever party that gives the DA a meaningful say in government. Who knows, even I may come to vote for the ANC (the real one, not the SACP, COSATU, ANCYL, ZUMA alliance) come next election.

Roy

Who will step up to lead the non-Zuma camp? Mbeki cannot be the one – who are the lieutenants in his support base?

KK

It is with absolute disgust that I view this latest spectacle. The ANC is dead. Mbeki was asked to resignm not because of his pitiful grap on the AIDS endemic, his insistance to protect Jackie Selebi or his dismal friendship with a tyrant, he is asked to resign because of ANC petty politics. Looking at the fact that the ANC has displayed an inability in running their own political party, I now ask you, how will they run a country?? The ANC is not even considering how this affects a country, they merely care about their own party. What a shocking disappointment

Disillusioned

Let Mr. Mbeki step down gracefully and let the power hungry Zuma faction to lead. Theirs is a dispensation doomed to fail. There is a vacuum in S.A. politics. There are many Mbeki supporters and others,clearly without a political home.

Disillusioned

Its another sad day for S.A politics! Now for an era of a clearly doomed dispensation.

Disillusioned

Ag man sies! The kanga man and his circus are in town! Be discerning and don’t buy tickets. Let their stay be brief.

Franky on a serious note, South Africans need to indicate their discontent by ensuring a strong opposition for Zuma’s government. Albeit the fact that it seems inevitable that he will be president, we owe it to ourselves to ensure that the D.A, I.D, the UDM et al are bouyed by greater representation in parliament. Be a discerning voter!

Kwazi

Hehehe…………hold on to you knickers ppl, this is just a storm in a tea cup. The same thing is happening in Israel as we speak.
I can remember Margaret Thatcher crying after she was sacked as prime minister by her own party; the consevertive party.

Tony Blair also step down and Gordon Brown took over.

I believe that, like Lary, in the long run this will strenghten our democracy.

Realist

Since Mbeki loved qouting other people, maybe it’s appropriate to give him this qoute “You live by the sword, you die by the sword”.

AK-47 cum Pen

Hi KK, if you only listened to me last year. We saw it coming.

KK

AK, I did listen to you last year, and I had pretty much accepted that Zuma nad his lot would be in power, but why, with less than 6 months to go until they are in power anyway, do they have to upset the economy, make investors very jittery etc, why could they not wait, the only answer I can come up with is that Zuma is guilty, even if the investigation into him was prompted by political reasons, he is guilty , and the only way to sweep this under the carpet is to take power immediately…

Shakes

If you look at it there is no more the Mbeki camp then lets hope we will have a united ANC and we will look forward to an interesting election. Maybe the sacking of PRez Mbeki was not right but it might be good for the country as we move on…

NotProudSA

Toot, Toot.

Stand by for a word from the Court Jester, the Elder who stands by whilst the country burns;

the old man who got us into this mess in the first place; and

the pinhead who rants for the entertainment of those in his league, as if this is a game you can press ‘Re-Start” when you will.

There is no future – unless the DA is given a chance to set us free.

Yippee!

Aaron

It is an unprincipled decision by the ANC. We wait and see how the whole drama plays out in the coming months. Maybe it will prepare voters on the choices to make come the next elections. We will have seen the hand of the new people in the ANC leadership.

rea

My biggest fears have come true. Is the ANC still for the people? to me it seems Zuma and his followers (NEC) ARE SERVING THEIR OWN AGENDA! If this is the future of South Africa, then it is only a matter of time till SA follows in the footsteps of the rest of the african state: Democracy, 10 – 15 years of the honeymoon phase (prosperity, posibility) then failing…SAD

hramsden

No way, no Zuma, no how.
Here’s the breathing space, courtesy of Constitutionally Speaking via The Sowetan:
…. the Speaker will be sworn in as the acting President until a new President is elected (within 30 days) from among the members of the National Assembly or until an election is held 90 days later later.
IT CAN’T BE JZ
The Constitutionally Speaking blog, written by Pierre de Vos, Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of the Western Cape, says that at the moment Jacob Zuma is not a member of the National Assembly.
“As I read the Electoral Act, it is impossible for Mr Zuma to become a member of the National Assembly before the next election.
“It has been argued that Mr Zuma can become a member of the National Assembly if one of the ANC MPs resigns. But if there is such a resignation the vacancy must be filled from the existing list of candidates prepared by the ANC, which they can only review once a year. At the moment this list can only be reviewed and supplemented each April and if Mr Zuma is not now on top of one of these lists he cannot be placed on top of such a list at this time.
“If the ANC therefore removes President Mbeki… but chooses not to have an election immediately, Mr Zuma will not be able to become President before an election is held.”
One of the present members of the National Assembly – possibly Baleka Mbete or Kgalema Motlanthe – will then have to be elected President until an election is held before the end of June next year.

Dare I say Patricia de Lille?