Succession, thy name is woman – Nkosazana pitches for President

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Spike the guns, embrace the family and you will build community and a stable society; that’s the sermon from Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the former wife of our lay pastor President, delivered from the pulpit of a Carletonville church at the weekend. Noble sentiments indeed from the immediate past president of the African Union Commission, who added, (conveniently), that the continent needs women presidents. A compelling message indeed on her newly-trodden Presidential campaign trail and one very few voters would argue with. But there’s a contextual problem. She’s the favoured candidate to succeed President Zuma – favoured notably, by the political cabal that is bleeding the fiscus dry with shady tenders for pals, shaky billion rand international deals with lucrative kickbacks and a stranglehold on the pillars of government and State-owned enterprises. She’s also Msholozi’s best prospect for a prosecution-free, managed exit. It’s a straightforward deal. You get the job, I get the get-out-of-jail free card and my loyalists (wherever they may be), hold onto their jobs and cash streams. Powerful incentives all round. One could almost say it’s game set and match, given the current set-up. But then we have a little backstop called the Constitutional Court and some very ambitious opposition parties and their activist allies who know how to use it. It’s going to be a helluva year, starting with the State of the Nation address, budget and expected cabinet shuffles this month. – Chris Bateman

By Tshidi Madia

Carletonville – The former chairperson of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, says Africa needs more women to be elected into presidential positions.

“Right now there is just one, in Liberia [Ellen Johnson Sirleaf] and her two terms come to an end in October,” said Dlamini-Zuma on Sunday.

Former African Union Chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma addresses Africa Editors Forum, 24 Oct 2016.

She was speaking at a church in Khutsong, Carletonville at a service with the theme of women in leadership.

Although she giggled several times when speaking about the potential of a female president in South Africa, she called on women to stop undermining their own capabilities.

She’s earmarked by some to replace President Jacob Zuma when he steps down at the ANC’s 54th national elective conference in December but is likely to have to fight it out with deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa who declared in December 2016 that he was available to serve if nominated for the post.

“We must be there in the ruling of the country,” said Dlamini-Zuma.

She said it cannot be defined as a democracy if the majority were not participants in the democratic process.

“If you empower women, you empower the entire family, you empower the entire community,” she said.

Dlamini-Zuma, who danced and hugged some of her comrades in the ANC Women’s League throughout the marathon praise and worship session, shared with the crowd some of targets she helped set up while at the African Union.

“We have said we want to silence the guns,” she said.

Dlamini-Zuma also spoke on numerous parts of the Agenda 2063 idea, which will see leaders opting to debate over issues instead of resorting to warfare.

She told the crowd that the vision also aimed to see Africans successfully trading within the continent.

She added that this would give countries in Africa a competitive edge when they approached the global market. – News24

Source: http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/africa-needs-more-women-presidents-dlamini-zuma-20170205

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