Thabo Mbeki: does he really know what leadership is?

As a proudly South African, I think some of the leaders that we elect are up to NO GOOD the minute they enter into positions “of high power” or land a position in the high office in the country or any another office for that matter!

Recently, all if not, every columnists, commentators or so-called analysts in the country have been of critical to the way our president (Thabo Mbeki) has been running the country and his leadership style. This has had some of these commentators and “just” citizens suggesting that he should step down to save himself the embarrassment.

Whether this will save him the embarrassment, at this stage is not quite clear. But what is crystal clear is that he (Mbeki) has lost touch with his people and those that he works with in Parliament especially those who are at the Luthuli House.

Normally, but not to Mbeki it seems, a leader should always be there to listen to what people are crying about, their concerns, worries and sometimes “crisis.” But what has our mighty president done of late and during the Khutsong disaster? Nothing! Just the speech and people need more than that!

On the mediation in Zimbabwe, asked: “what’s your take on Mbeki as a mediator? Rubbish said a Zimbabwean living and working in South African. “I went to school not because I wanted to work for another country, but because I wanted to contribute to the development of my country (Zimbabwe).”

As far as the “xenophobic” attacks are concerned – all he did was say speech written to him by some experts of the land – far from the concerned residents of the land and off he went overseas! How unlike a leader!

At least at this point, South Africans, I think, must have learnt a thing or two: if you can no longer lead people just like Mugabe, just give someone else a chance. In Zimbabwe it doesn’t matter whether that someone is Tshangarai or Jacob Zuma in South Africa. All we need is a change of leadership.

I must admit that I love his (Mbeki) sense of humour – but he will need just more than that to take this country forward and thus far, he in fact need more than that!

A change of leadership is what all South African need right now and this means Mbeki needs to do something… even if it’s stepping down. And the same goes for Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president.