Last Updated: May 26, 1999
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A conversation on the future of South
Africa
South African official offers look at country
Even with Ben Bradlee to question him, Thabo Mbeki
demurs on his political plans, but he does talk about the press, human
rights, the police and housing
By Lee Salem
With a deft use of the passive tense, Thabo Mbeki, the executive deputy
president of South Africa, revealed his grasp of the American political
lexicon.
Benjamin C. Bradlee, now vice president at-large of The Washington Post
(and a longtime friend of the South African), wanted to know if Mbeki would
succeed Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa when Mandela’s term
ends in April 1999. Mbeki obviously did not want to give a definitive answer,
preferring to explain that the decision was his party’s (the African National
Congress) to make. Pressed by Bradlee, Mbeki finally offered a Clinton-like
response: "Nominations will be made."
The ASNE audience responded with appreciative laughter.
But most of the breakfast session was of a more serious tenor.
Mbeki explained why he believes the Truth and Reconciliation Commission,
which seeks to uncover the crimes of apartheid but not punish the criminals,
is the proper instrument for the future of South Africa: "If we had opted
for Nuremberg, we could not hope for stability."
"Let the truth be told," he maintained. But a demand for justice "would
only lead to a continuation of the conflict."
Bradlee called the commission’s work extraordinary. Even to a question
about the death of Steve Biko, Mbeki affirmed that "amnesty should be given,
otherwise the transition to democracy would not occur." He acknowledged
that the African National Congress also committed gross violations of human
rights. "We, too, take responsibility. We apologized for those acts."
In his introductory remarks, Mbeki described the recent history of the
African continent as 30 years of continuing crisis due to the prevalence
of one-party states, military rule and state intervention in the economy.
But many countries are "turning a new key," exemplified by talks of a government
of national unity in Angola. Overdue recognition is being given to African
states that have evidenced stability, such as Tunisia, Ghana, Mali and
South Africa.
To ensure future stability in the continent, Mbeki stressed, governments
might avoid conflict by recognizing different cultural and language groups
and by changing their civil structures to serve the interest of the people,
as was done in the case of South Africa.
He challenged his fellow Africans with the question, "Why shouldn’t
this coming century be an African century? ... There is progress everywhere,"
but Africa is perceived as "a big hole" and as a "continent holding out
a begging bowl." Africans "are fortunate to have this history because it
taught us we must depart from it. Africans are capable of changing things
for the better themselves."
The economy is the biggest problem facing his own country. "We have
to address, with as much speed as we can muster, the economy. We cannot
sustain the great disparities of wealth." Mbeki noted that the two most
critical concerns were water supplies and housing. Housing, he said, "has
not gone as fast as we had hoped." The government plans to build 1 million
new houses by 1999.
Crime and the criminal justice system in South Africa are a high priority,
too. Until recently, the police concentrated on maintaining apartheid,
allowing criminal elements to grow. Mbeki said that during apartheid, the
police were "political police" and were not trained properly. Some succumbed
to corruption and even received stolen cars at their stations. Additionally,
the police are not accustomed to fighting crime — most spend 30 percent
of their time policing and 70 percent of their time in administrative work.
The result is that the people have no confidence in the police.
The government has been working on changing the relationship between
the police and the communities and cited the province of Natal, where the
crime rate has declined significantly, he said. "With the proper instruments
it is possible."
In describing South African press coverage of the government, Mbeki
used the words "unbalanced," "negative" and "inexperienced." As an example,
he pointed to his 1995 address to the South African Parliament on the government’s
budget. Everyone told him the speech was very good, but it was not carried
on radio or television. Mbeki advised the South African press: "We need
to keep the public informed."
He assured the ASNE members in attendance that there is "no sentiment
to weaken the freedom of the press, which is entrenched in the Constitution."
Salem is editorial director of Universal Press Syndicate, Kansas
City, Mo.
