Mbeki struggling to face reality that he’s no longer in leadership, says ANC

JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) said its former president, Thabo Mbeki, was struggling to face the reality that he was no longer in leadership.

Mbeki has boycotted Friday’s convention of the National Dialogue, saying it’s a rushed process and it excluded citizen-led leadership.

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The former president has been the driving force behind the concept of a National Dialogue.

Speaking on the sidelines of the convention at the University of South Africa (UNISA)’s main campus in Pretoria on Friday morning, ANC national chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, had this to say when asked about Mbeki’s absence: “One of the things that are in important when you’re in leadership is to let go when there’s a new leader. If you don’t do that, there is always going to be confusion. The convention is not about us; it’s about South Africans talking to one another."

Meanwhile, United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa said the doors should remain open for organisations and people who are boycotting the event.

"We are still going to go to all the sectors of South Africa, including those who are heading foundations, but I hope that President Mbeki, because of his experience and his institutional memory, he might reconsider the position when he sees that this dialogue is for all South Africans."