Kgalema Motlanthe

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Kgalema Motlanthe
President of South Africa
Assumed office
25 September 2008
Preceded byThabo Mbeki
Deputy President of the African National Congress
Assumed office
2007
Preceded byJacob Zuma
Secretary-General of the African National Congress
In office
1997–2007
Preceded byCyril Ramaphosa
Succeeded byGwede Mantashe
Member of Parliament
Assumed office
20 May 2008[1]
Preceded byZipporah Noisey Nawa
Personal details
Born (1949-07-19) 19 July 1949 (age 74)
Political partyAfrican National Congress

Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe[3] (IPA: [ˈxɑ.lɪ.mɑ mʊ.ˈtɬ’ɑ.n.tʰɛ]) is the President of South Africa and Deputy President of the ruling African National Congress (ANC). He was elected as national president by the South African National Assembly on 25 September 2008 after Thabo Mbeki was forced to resign by the ANC. He won 269 votes out of 361 votes cast. The National Assembly will hold another presidential election after the 2009 general election. He is a former trade unionist, Member of Parliament, and Minister without Portfolio in the South African cabinet. He was born in Alexandra township, Johannesburg, to a working-class family. Motlanthe, a left-leaning intellectual, is seen as a highly skilled political operator and the brains behind the Zuma faction.[4][5]

Early life

Motlanthe was born 19 July 1949, the son of a mineworker.[6] On 14 April 1976, he was arrested for furthering the aims of the ANC and was kept in detention for 11 months at John Vorster Square in central Johannesburg. In 1977 he was found guilty of three charges under the Terrorism Act and sentenced to an effective 10 years imprisonment on Robben Island, from 1977 to 1987.[7][8] Shortly after his release he was elected Secretary-General of the National Union of Mineworkers, and in 1997 he was elected Secretary-General of the ANC, replacing Cyril Ramaphosa.[6] He is married with two daughters and a son.[7] In the 1970s, while working for the Johannesburg City Council, he was recruited into Umkhonto we Sizwe. He formed part of a unit tasked with recruiting comrades for military training.[9] Motlanthe is a former student activist, a trade unionist and a former soldier in the ANC's disbanded military wing.[10]

Land Bank

Motlanthe is a shareholder of Pamodzi Investment Holdings. In February 2006, auditors revealed that a total of about R2 billion in loans by the Land Bank, a government institution established to help farmers, had gone sour. Earlier, a R800 million (about $112 million) 10 year loan had been given to Pamodzi. This amounted to nearly one-third of the Land Bank's total assets, and was a non-agricultural investment. There is no suggestion that this particular loan was non-performing. Pamodzi chief executive Ndaba Ntsele denies there was any wrongdoing.[11] The government has since fired the Land Bank chairman and agreed to inject R700 million to keep the Land Bank operative.[12]

Minister and Member of Parliament

Motlanthe was elected Deputy President of the African National Congress at the party's 52nd National Conference in Polokwane in December 2007, defeating the Mbeki camp's choice of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.[13] The new ANC leadership, dominated by supporters of Jacob Zuma, applied pressure on President Thabo Mbeki to appoint Motlanthe to the cabinet. He became a Member of Parliament in May 2008[1] and in July was appointed to the cabinet by Mbeki as Minister without Portfolio. This was seen as a step towards a smooth transition to a future Zuma government.[14][15]

On September 23, Nathi Mthethwa, the ANC's Chief Whip, stated that Mbeki's resignation would take effect on 25 September 2008. ANC President Jacob Zuma, who is not currently a Member of Parliament, said that his deputy, Kgalema Motlanthe, would become president until the 2009 general election: "I am convinced– if given that responsibility– he (Motlanthe) would be equal to the task."[16] The ANC confirmed that "Kgalema Motlanthe is to become caretaker president until 2009 elections."[17]

Presidency

On 25 September 2008, Kgalema Motlanthe was elected the twelfth President of South Africa. The Chief Justice, Pius Langa, announced Motlanthe’s election after a secret ballot which was contested between Motlanthe and a candidate from the Democratic Alliance, Joe Seremane.[18] In the ballot, Motlanthe gained 269 votes from the 351 cast.[19]

Motlanthe has expressed his desire to address AIDS in South Africa using conventional scientific approaches. He immediately demoted Mbeki's health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who had denounced anti-retroviral drugs as poisons and advised the use of olive oil, garlic, and beetroot by HIV-positive persons.[20]

References

  1. ^ a b "Proceedings of the National Assembly". Hansard. 2008-05-20.
  2. ^ "Kgalema Motlanthe".
  3. ^ He himself says "Kgalema Petrus Motalanthe". See his own pronunciation at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7636151.stm
  4. ^ "Motlanthe elected South African president". The Mail & Guardian Online. 2008-09-25.
  5. ^ "South Africa".
  6. ^ a b Calland, Richard (2006). Anatomy of South Africa: Who holds the Power?. Zebra. ISBN 1868729036.
  7. ^ a b Forde, Fiona (2008-07-23). "For now 'Mkhuluwa' is our man". The Star.
  8. ^ Buntman, Fran Lisa (2003). Robben Island and Prisoner Resistance to Apartheid. Cambridge University Press. p. 306. ISBN 0521007828.
  9. ^ Hartley, Ray (24 September 2008). "ANC Profile of Kgalema Motlanthe". The Times. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  10. ^ "Motlanthe will be president - ANC". News 24.com. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  11. ^ Williams, Lindsay (2005-07-21). "Pamodzi denies Land Bank deal is "dodgy"". Business Day.
  12. ^ Baldauf, Scott (2007-04-10). "Graft shakes South Africa's vaunted ANC party". The Christian Science Monitor.
  13. ^ "Jacob Zuma is new ANC president". Mail & Guardian. 2007-12-18.
  14. ^ "Mbeki appoints ANC deputy leader to cabinet". Reuters. 2008-07-12.
  15. ^ Mafela, Ndivhuho (2008-06-22). "Mbeki set to bring Motlanthe into cabinet". The Times.
  16. ^ "South Africa: Mbeki's resignation effective Thursday". 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  17. ^ news.bbc.co.uk "Motlanthe: South Africa's safe hands". BBC News. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  18. ^ Hartley, Ray (25 September 2008). "Parliament elects Kgalema Motlanthe as president". The Times. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  19. ^ Stevenson, Rachel (22 September 2008). "Zuma ally 'to be S Africa leader'". BBC News. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  20. ^ Fred Brigland (2008-09-26). "New president will fight AIDS with science".

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Secretary-General of the African National Congress
1997 – 2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy President of the African National Congress
2007 – present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by President of South Africa
2008 – present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent


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