Posted on 11/30/2004 2:25:27 PM PST by kupia_kummi
ARCHBISHOP Desmond Tutu yesterday fired the latest salvo in a bitter row with South African president Thabo Mbeki that is threatening to divide the country’s black leadership.
The public slanging-match between the two leaders began last week when Mr Tutu accused the president of deepening the country’s poverty and stifling debate among his party.
Mr Mbeki, who led the ANC to a 70 per cent victory in elections in April, hit back, charging the Nobel Peace laureate with speaking out of turn and resorting to "empty rhetoric".
Yesterday, Mr Tutu responded with a sarcasm that will do nothing to defuse the row. "Thank you Mr President for telling me I am a liar with scant regard for the truth and a charlatan posing as a champion of the poor, the hungry, oppressed and voiceless," he said.
Mr Tutu, second only to Nelson Mandela as the face of the struggle for black emancipation from apartheid, added: "I will continue to pray for you and your government by name daily, as I have done and as I did even for the apartheid government. God bless you."
Mr Tutu is becoming as formidable a thorn in the side of Mr Mbeki’s African National Congress government as he was of former white governments.
He has criticised the notoriously thin-skinned Mr Mbeki for his silence on AIDS, which has infected 5.6 million South Africans; his cosy relationship with Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe; the creation of a narrow, super-rich black oligarchy; the stifling of debate; and his prejudices against the whites.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.scotsman.com ...
Aside from the badly managed exit of the previous government, they have the Chinese to worry about. I hear they're hiring Cubans to teach there, high unemployment amongst SA's nothwithstanding.
"They should be thankful that they were not educated blacks living in these countries under colonial rule, as third and fourth class citizens."
Now that colonial rule is over where are these third and fourth class educated black citizens? One would assume that they have rose to the top or just looked the landscape and said that "I am out of here". A list of names and accomplishments would be in order. What is missing is order and merit. How many at the top now are these third and fourth class citzens? Lay it on me Baby I can take it. (forgive the dangeling participle)
Many have left. I can't say that I blame them either. If I had a family, I wouldn't wait around either. As for the ones that stay, they manage and they have to keep a low profile. Along with the white farmers in Zimbabwe, any black farmer who protests about Mugabe ends up taking a dirt nap like his enemies. Not all whites are being oppressed either. I know white people living there who aren't farmers but have a very good life there. They know how to work the system and the people because they grew up with the people in government. My contention is the comments from people who act as if everything was peachy keen way back when and it most certainly was not. Rhodesia was much better than South Africa for a black person to live but not that much better especially if you were educated. You had to move to England or somewhere else. It's not that the people are lazy and uneducated because I know a helluva lot of Africans here in New York who are very successful doctors,lawyers,etc. How is it that they manage to prosper in THIS country? America has opportunity.
This is: "He shall convert my soul * and bring me forth in the paths of righteousness for his Name's sake"?
Yeah that's right.
"Mr Tutu is becoming as formidable a thorn in the side of Mr Mbeki’s African National Congress government as he was of former white governments."
Tutu is a good example of how a leftwing crackpot, no matter what his benign facade, is really just a nasty a-hole under the skin.
Cubans are also widely employed as doctors and military advisers. Part of the payback for helping during the "struggle".
Ah yes THAT struggle when the US put a big lead cap in ole Che Guevarra's head? Too bad 'the armpits and eyeballs' from Rhodesia grazed that ole jackass' head in Mozambique and didn't kill him.
Tutu is due for a tour of Ft Marcy Park.
Go take a drive through the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, and witness the many blacks that have prospered. If you really want a list, that can be arranged too. I don't understand your question, are you saying that blacks in Africa are unable to be good doctors, teachers, lawyers, accountants, engineers, businessmen etc. There are a pretty good number of blacks that are successful, measured by any standard.
Problems remain, that's for sure. The socialist government is not the best solution for SA right now, but for you to attack the people of South Africa is also not quite a basis for intelligent conversation.
Why is Mbeki's brother living in England huddling together with Ian Smith? Mbeki's brother hates his own brother. He should be president and Thabo should be in a chain gang.
Thabo's brother has a lot more sense, but little desire to be a politician. Thabo was groomed by their dad Govan, who was long-time leader in the ANC, to be the leader of the ANC, and then President by default if the ANC is in power.
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/moel.1474.html
You talking about this guy?
Odd how the very people who should be in politics have no taste for it.
Maybe, I don't know if he is just a big talker. SA needs people who won't just talk, like Tutu now, and Mbeki Jr here. He's been critical of the ANC government for a long time, but won't do anything about it. Let's see how wide the rift between the ANC and Cosatu gets, maybe that will spread power more evenly.
Let's hope.
I remember when South Africa and Rhodesia were thriving and civilized.
What in the world could have happened?
Regime change.
The pot calling the kettle black.
Perhaps they didn't want Apartheid to end.
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