June 16, and South Africa's treble historic events
USAfrica The Newspaper, Houston,
CLASS
magazine
USAfricaonline.com
and The
Black Business Journal
By NKEM EKEOPARA
June 16, 1999, was a treble historical moment for South Africa. On
this day, 198 days to the new millennium, the much loved and highly
venerated post-apartheid president of South Africa, Nelson 'Mahdiba'
Mandela voluntarily yielded power to a new generation of
leaders
led by Thabo Mbeki. Thabo Mbeki was sworn in as the second
President of a free multiracial South Africa on this day. This was
after an election in which the ruling party, the African National
Congress (ANC) had hoped for an overwhelming majority to enable it
effect some fundamental changes in the transitional constitution that
saw Nelson Mandela becoming the first democratically elected
President of post-apartheid South Africa and the Head of a National
Unity Government, sworn in on April 27, 1994. That hope did not
materialise, some say it was good it did not, at least at that
time.
One of the reasons it remains a historic moment for a free South Africa is the fact that a realistic 'old guard', conscious of its place in history, ushered in a much younger but confident leadership on a date possibly chosen to underscore their hard won freedom from the forces of retrogression and darkness.
June 16, we must not forget, is the same date in 1976, 26 years ago that school children revolted and embarked on a protest march against the imposition of an inferior educational curricular on them, Afrikaans, by the apartheid regime. As was typical of that evil era, the South African Security Forces mowed down hundreds of School Children in the sustained protest that followed after 13-year-old Hector Peterson was martyred on the first day. Today, that day is known and celebrated as Youths' Day in South Africa.
Watching proceedings on that eventful day, June 16, 1999, not quite a few of us did agree that the new millennium has begun in South Africa. Were we wrong in this imaginative view of the event of that day? I believe the answer is no. I believe it is no because there were very many unsavoury commentaries from the prophets of doom that the Mandela led government may not be able to overcome the prevailing political violence, mistrust and an apparent intimidating disparity in the living standards of white South Africans and their black counterparts besetting the country as at the time he took power.
Indeed, this sense of uncertainty was made so real in the days following President Mandela's accession on that glorious April 27 (Freedom Day) in 1994 that many white South Africans emigrated to 'more secure' parts of the world. But the peaceful transference of power from Mandela to Mbeki on June 16, 1999, proved the prophets of doom wrong. It signposted the rugged resolve of a people to overcome a sad past and march into future with confidence for the good of all members of their hitherto bitterly divided society.
Mbeki's record in leadership and power has since proven that leadership should not be an all-comers affair. It is something one has to prepare for and not to be grudgingly walked into. In his early days, he occasionally blamed the apartheid regime for the monumental tasks that he met even with the firm foundation laid by former President Nelson Mandela, which included the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, chaired by the graceful Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a critical component in achieving set goals in the new South Africa. Even onto this day, it is still a valid option to blame the evil legacy of apartheid. However, President Mbeki has not hopelessly chosen this option as the dictator turned civilian president of Nigeria, retired General Olusegun Obasanjo and other members of his administration which came into office about the same time as Mbeki, have chosen to blame the military regimes they succeeded.
Mbeki has since settled down into providing astute leadership that had seen South Africa maintain its enviable place as an investor's and a tourist's delight in Africa. It is estimated that South Africa holds 60% of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of Africa's gross total. This bright picture for South Africa did not come by its president being in the air frequently in chase of FDI as is the case with the Nigerian president, retired general Olusegun Obasanjo. It came through creating and maintaining a stable political outlook, the needed infrastructure, especially power, transport and communication facilities and of course putting in place transparent monetary and fiscal policies that bolster investors confidence at home. It came by the government of South Africa doing whatever it can to provide security to lives and property of all its residents and visitors, for without these, any talk of increasing FDI, would have have been gibberish and deceitful.
Additionally, South Africa's aggregate industrial output is been upped by 10% in the post-apartheid period, part of which was achieved under the Mbeki led government. Also, the country runs one of the most successful airlines in the world. At a time, the Nigerian Airways lacking in organisational discipline, had sought to provide services to its always disappointed customers through a partnership arrangement with The South African airlines.
In spite of this encouraging picture of progress in South Africa under President Mbeki, there are still a lot to be done, especially in the areas of hard drug use, management and prevention of HIV/AIDS and equalisation of opportunities in the economic well-being of all South Africans regardless of gender, colour, creed and political persuasion. One is pleased though, that President Thabo Mbeki, true to his receptive approach on issues of concern to his constituents, did jettison his personal views on HIV/AIDS controversy for the larger interest of South Africans and humanity. His government has since April, put in place a well-thought out program of action to contain the HIV/AIDS pandemic. According to the statistics released earlier this month by the South African Ministry of Health, infection rate among the youths is going down, while the overall infection rates is said to be stabilising. Given the level of creativity being infused in leadership by President Thabo Mbeki and his team, one is confident that the few grey areas are not beyond the young, but confident leaders of a free South Africa.
As President Thebo Mbeki enters into the 4th year of his 5-year
first term, one wishes him and the people of South Africa, a
confident march into future and a continued activist role in
providing the right leadership for Africa's Renaissance.
Ekeopara, an
Engineer, worked for the Kuwait Public Authority for Agricultural
Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAF). He contributes to the opinion
pages of USAfricaonline.com
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