Mbeki election suspension – a brief pause

By Johnathan Paoli

FORMER president Thabo Mbeki has stopped campaigning for the African National Congress (ANC), the party confirmed on Tuesday due to his personal commitments.

ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said the party chose to issue an official statement in response to public interest and speculation when Mbeki’s campaign events – scheduled to take place in Gqeberha – were postponed.

The halt of Mbeki‘s campaign trial, described by some as ‘sudden’, raised a few eyebrows, after he joined other party stalwarts such as former president Kgalema Motlanthe, businessman Tokyo Sexwale and national chairperson Gwede Mantashe.

Over the past weekend Mbeki’s visited Hero’s Acre in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal and was reported to have made what some have described as ‘critical remarks’ about the party.

He was quoted as saying the ANC’s loss of support was directly related to the deterioration of service delivery.

“Anything to do with who leads the ANC, has