A Legacy of Liberation Thabo Mbeki and the Future of the South African Dream Mark Gevisser A LEGACY OF LIBERATION 9780230611009ts01.indd i 2/11/2009 5:39:14 PM This page intentionally left blank A LEGACY OF LIBERATION THABO MBEKI AND THE FUTURE OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN DREAM Mark Gevisser 9780230611009ts01.indd iii 2/11/2009 5:39:14 PM a legacy of liberation Copyright © Mark Gevisser, 2009. All rights reserved. First published in 2009 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN-13: 978–0–230–61100–9 ISBN-10: 0–230–61100–1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gevisser, Mark. A legacy of liberation : Thabo Mbeki and the future of the South African dream / by Mark Gevisser. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978–0–230–61100–9 1. Mbeki, Thabo. 2. Mbeki, Thabo—Infl uence. 3. Mbeki, Thabo—Family. 4. Presidents—South Africa—Biography. 5. South Africa—Politics and government—1994– 6. Political leadership—South Africa—Case studies. 7. Blacks—South Africa—Social conditions. 8. South Africa—Race relations. I. Title. DT1975.G47 2009 968.06Ј6092—dc22 [B] 2008050763 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: April 2009 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America. 9780230611009ts01.indd iv 2/11/2009 5:39:14 PM To David and Hedda Gevisser And to Dhianaraj Chetty 9780230611009ts01.indd v 2/11/2009 5:39:14 PM This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Author’s Note on the Text ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction Thabo Mbeki and the South African Dream Deferred 1 1 The Mbekis: “The Jews of Kaffi rland” 12 2 The Moeranes: Chekhov in the Transkei 19 3 The New Africans 25 4 Mbewuleni: “A Place of Seed” 33 5 Family 40 6 Queenstown: The African Springtime Orchestra 47 7 Lovedale: “Africa’s Best and Brightest” 50 8 Fatherhood 58 9 Johannesburg: Fringe Country 66 10 Becoming a Communist: “An Honour Bestowed upon Me” 74 11 Into Exile 78 12 Sussex Man 85 13 Favorite Son 96 14 Swinging London: Old Left, New Left 106 15 Moscow Man 116 16 “Not Quite Home”: Lusaka and Marriage 124 17 Swaziland: Front Line 133 18 Govan and Epainette 141 19 The Disappearance of Jama Mbeki 150 20 Nigeria: “The Real Africa” 157 21 The National Interferer 165 9780230611009ts01.indd vii 2/11/2009 5:39:14 PM viii ● Contents 22 Party Man 174 23 The Diplomat 181 24 The Seducer 189 25 Parallel Paths to Power 199 26 Reunions 208 27 Coming Home 214 28 Sidelining 225 29 Into Power 234 30 Transition: The Battle Over the Economy 246 31 The Arms Deal: South Africa’s Poisoned Well 256 32 Mandela and Mbeki: “One Good Native” 261 33 Mbeki and AIDS: “Yes, We Are Diseased!” 276 34 Mbeki and Zimbabwe: “Red-Telephone Diplomacy” 297 35 Home 305 Epilogue Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, and the Future of the South African Dream 320 Notes 346 Bibliographical Notes 366 Index 369 Photographs appear between pages 173–174. 9780230611009ts01.indd viii 2/11/2009 5:39:14 PM AUTHOR’S NOTE ON THE TEXT ON PLACE NAMES Many place names in the Eastern Cape have changed since democracy. This is to bring them in line with the way they are actually pronounced in isiXhosa rather than the way they were transliterated by the colonists. So “Idutywa” is now “Dutywa,” “Umtata” is now “Mthatha,” and so on. Because most of my informants refer to these places by their former names, I have used only these former names in the text, to avoid confusion. ON CURRENCY South Africa used the British pound sterling (£) until it became a republic in 1961, when it changed to the rand (R). This book works accordingly. When the original amounts in the text are in rands, they are refl ected in rands and not converted. The rand and the U.S. dollar were roughly equal in the mid-1980s. In the 1990s, there were between 3 and 5 rands to the dollar; this dropped to 7 by the early 2000s, and was at around 10 at the time of publication. ON SOURCES Over two hundred people were interviewed for this book. Most were will- ing to speak on the record, but some preferred to remain anonymous. While unattributed sources are common in journalism, they are less so in serious biography; they are, however, unavoidable in a project of this par- ticular nature, published at this particular time. All quotes from these inter- views have been carefully cross-checked and are not cited in the Notes. All other direct quotes, from written sources, are cited in the Notes. In the Bibliographical Notes I provide contextual sources and suggest further reading. With the exception of off-the-record interviews, all materials col- lected in my research for this book are lodged at the South African History Archives at Wits University: www.saha.org.za. 9780230611009ts01.indd ix 2/11/2009 5:39:15 PM This page intentionally left blank ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am deeply grateful to all of the following: For archival assistance: Zweliyanyikima Vena and Sandy Rowoldt at the Cory Library at Rhodes University; Stephen Gill at the Morija Mission Archives in Lesotho; Richard Whiteing, Simpiwe Yako, Zolile Mvunelo, and all the staff at the Mayibuye Archives; Sadie Forman and the staff at the ANC Archives at the University of Fort Hare; Stan Ndlovu from the ANC Film and Video Archives; Michelle Leon and the staff at the AVUSA Library; and the staff at Wits Historical Papers, the South African Communist Party Library, and the Missing Persons Task Team of the National Prosecuting Authority. For access to private collections, and permission to cite from or repro- duce material: Thabo and Zanele Mbeki, Epainette Mbeki, Moeletsi Mbeki, the late Linda Jiba, the late Govan Mbeki, the late Norah Moerane, Sophie Moerane, Olive Mpahlwa, Essop and Meg Pahad, Derek Gunby, Mel and Rhiannon Gooding, Tibor Barna, Howard Barrell, Colin Coleman, Gail Gerhart, Barbara Harmel, Shireen Hassim, Philippa Ingram, Tom Karis, Tom Lodge, Tiksie Mabizela, Hugh Macmillan, Mphu Matete, Gabriel Mokgoko, Ann Nicholson, Wiseman Nkuhlu, Tiny Nokwe, Seth Phalatse, Hennie Serfontein, Tor Sellström, Bridget Thompson, and Tony Trew. The Mbeki family also gave me permission to access the Department of Justice fi les on Govan and Thabo Mbeki in Pretoria. For assisting me in my travels, sharing ideas and research with me, or reading drafts of my work: Charlotte Bauer, Jonathan Berger, Fran Buntman, Luli Callinicos, Jeremy Cronin, Maggie Davey, Jessica Dubow, Jihan El-Tahri, Andrew Feinstein, Stephen Gelb, Heather Godwin, Derek Gunby, Robert Harvey, Hillary and Tony Hamburger, Barbara Harmel, Gillian Hart, Rachel Holmes, Heather Hughes, Jon Hyslop, Wellington Jansen, Tom Karis, Jürgen Kögl, Reddy Mampane, Achille Mbembe, Kwena Steve Mokwena, Joel Netshitenzhe, Sarah Nuttall, Dele Olojede, Kole Omotoso, Deborah Posel, Helen Schneider, Mark Schoofs, Elinor Sisulu, Carol Steinberg, Raymond Suttner, Ivan Vladislavic, Iden Wetherell, and Claire Wright. I would like to thank, in particular: Colin Bundy, for his intellectual generosity and per- mission to cite from his unpublished work; Gail Gerhart, Tor Sellström, and Vladimir Shubin for their collegial generosity; Esther Kaplan, who gave invaluable advice for this edition; Shaun de Waal, who edited the fi rst edition of this book; and Jonny Steinberg, the other half of the two-person writer’s workshop that has sustained me creatively for nearly a decade now. 9780230611009ts01.indd xi 2/11/2009 5:39:15 PM xii ● Acknowledgments For research: Joanne Bloch, France Bourgouin, Collette Fearon, Tumi Makgetla, Boitshoko Mohlabane, Ruth Muller, Felicity Nyikadzino, George Ogola, Sophie Maggs, Rob Skinner, Tymon Smith, Paul Stinson, and par- ticularly Paul Holden. For assistance from the South African Presidency and the ANC: Joel Netshitenzhe, Essop Pahad, Kgalema Motlanthe, Smuts Ngonyama, Ronnie Mamoepa, Bheki Khumalo, Murphy Morobe, David Hlabane, Louis du Plooy, Mandisa Mayinje, and the staff at Mahlamba Ndlopfu. For agreeing to talk to me: all those I interviewed, and most of all the Mbekis themselves. In particular: Zanele Mbeki, for being so willing a con- duit; Moeletsi Mbeki, whose combination of charm, intellect and spirit I can only aspire to; and Epainette Mbeki, who has become a teacher, a mother, and a friend. Three family members have passed away who also helped me greatly: Govan Mbeki, Linda Jiba, and Norah Moerane. I am also deeply grateful to Olive Mpahlwa and Mphu Matete, who have trusted me with their unimaginable pain. Of course, my ultimate gratitude goes to Thabo Mbeki himself, who agreed to spend hours with me and to encourage his comrades, friends, and family to talk to me. There are many others who wish to remain anonymous. I thank you all for your time and insight. The ideas of this book, however, are my own, and no one else should be held to account for them—or my errors. For helping to bring this book into the world: the Sunday Times (Johannesburg), which commissioned the work that began this project; the Wits Institute of Social and Economic Research (WISER) in Johannesburg, which awarded me a writing fellowship in 2001; the Swedish Embassy in Pretoria, which sponsored my European travel; Jonathan Ball, whose faith in me sustained my work for eight years, and all at Jonathan Ball Publishers and at Palgrave Macmillan.