Letters

THEY'RE OUT TO GET ME: Jacob Zuma, whom a reader says has based his claim to the presidency on the grounds that he is a victim

Xolani Xundu feels that President Thabo Mbeki must withdraw from the race for the ANC presidency in order to save the party from self- destruction, "Mbeki must make a dignified exit" (November 28).

Zuma believes he has a right to the presidency because he is a victim. This has been the gist of his campaign. That this message has remained credible to many for this long is not surprising.

It would have served our country well if Xundu, the so-called independent political analysts, the national executive committee of the ANC and society in general had interrogated this message more vigorously and asked the good ANC deputy president to present the evidence. Instead, his supporters have been left to repeat this claim.

When the National Prosecuting Authority recently challenged Zuma to provide evidence for his claims that it had a political motive in trying to get him before a court ­ or face being sued for defamation ­ he quietly desisted from repeating the allegation. This proves it is unfounded.

Put in power both a man who believes he is a victim and his alleged masters of intimidation and you have a dangerous alignment of dictatorial forces that renders hope for a democratic, prosperous nation a pipe dream.

It is Mbeki's responsibility to defend the ANC and, by extension, our young and fragile constitutional democracy.

If that means that he will come out of the battle bruised, then so be it. He has proved he is up to the task.

Tommy Madikoto, by e-mail

With acknowledgement to Tommy Madikoto and The Times.