South Africa: Youth Leader Calls for ‘Debate’ Over Prosecuting Mbeki

Posted by Admin on Nov 21st, 2009 and filed under Afrique. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

cameroonwebnews.com| 21/11/09 | Allfrica.com

Johannesburg — THE Young Communist League (YCL) yesterday repeated its call that former president Thabo Mbeki be prosecuted for AIDS-related deaths, saying it sided with victims rather than critics of the proposed court action, including the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League.

The idea of prosecuting Mbeki for genocide was opposed on Monday by Youth League leader Julius Malema, who pledged to defend him and former health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang . ANC secretary- general Gwede Mantashe expressed similar sentiments yesterday, saying: “There is no issue; it has not arisen, it will not arise.”

But the issue was set to accentuate tension in the ANC’s tripartite alliance, while marking a departure from Mbeki-era denialism over HIV/AIDS. The YCL and the Youth League have traded insults in the past, but this was the first time they were disagreeing on how to interpret the Mbeki legacy.

YCL president Buti Manamela said: “If we have to stand with the people who have been infected and affected (by HIV) at the expense of a relationship with the ANC Youth League then let it be because we are for those people.

“We believe that they are the ones who felt the wrath of a political administration that was not prepared to save their lives,” said Manamela speaking ahead of a YCL conference called to discuss policy issues including the financial crisis.
However, he called for a debate, saying common ground could be found. “Let’s have a principled debate on the whole issue of whether or not to prosecute; let’s look at the figures, let’s look at the implications,” he said.

In his defence of Mbeki, Malema said the ANC should not charge its own. But Manamela rejected this, saying: “What message are we sending? Are we saying let’s open the prison gates, because the prisoners in there are one of our own if they have committed crime against some of our own?” Manamela said the debate should deal with hard facts.

Last week, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi released figures showing that the death rate in SA had risen between 1997 and last year , from 300000 to 756000 a year. He blamed the “shocking” statistics on the Mbeki administration.