In his letter, “Bye Mbeki, it’s time to admit defeat,” (The Star, February 20, 2008), Dr. Lucan Ntyintyane makes a number of unfounded generalisations that should not go without some rebuffing.
According to Dr. Tyintyane, “in the eyes of the public, [President Thabo Mbeki] has lost all credibility”.
Mbeki may have lost some credibility over the years, but Dr. Ntyintyane elevates doom-saying to new heights when he refers to President Mbeki’s loss of “all credibility”.
Ntyintyane goes on to claim that “South Africa is in a state of paralysis and confusion.” You wonder what paralysis the good doctor is talking about.
The country may be going through tough times, particularly in view of the recent power outrages; but talk of the country being in “a state of paralysis” is dishonest.
It is wrong for Dr. Ntyintyane to call for President Mbeki “to say goodbye” just a year before the country elects a new government, including a new president.
It’s not clear whether Dr. Ntyintyane is a medical doctor, a PhD or a traditional doctor, but his sweeping generalisations, most of which are baseless, cheapens the doctor title attached to his name.
Much as we’d like to review Mbeki’s legacy in his final months in office, we must also acknowledge the many achievements the country has seen under his stewardship.
- An edited copy of this article appeared in The Star newspaper on 26 February 2008 under the headline, "'Discredited' Mbeki not all that bad'.
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