WI Mandela not President of South Africa in 1994

[richie42]

I just thought of this. What if in South Africa, apartheid ended but their next president after F.W. de Klerk was not Mandela but some white guy who was anti-apartheid.

[Marius]

Originally Posted by richie42

I just thought of this. What if in South Africa, apartheid ended but their next president after F.W. de Klerk was not Mandela but some white guy who was anti-apartheid.

Thanks for that well-thought out question

It is ASBs, it is politically impossible that a white man would have been the first post-apartheid President. Now asking if somebody else rather than Mandela could have been President, is a valid question.

[Aozhouhuaren]

Originally Posted by Marius

Thanks for that well-thought out question

It is ASBs, it is politically impossible that a white man would have been the first post-apartheid President. Now asking if somebody else rather than Mandela could have been President, is a valid question.

Hmm, that is a valid question, who would be the most plausible leaders in contention for the position of President in post-apartheid South Africa? From the ANC party or otherwise.

Perhaps Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada or Oliver Tambo etc. It's interesting to think of the results of different political leadership in South Africa

[Marius]

Originally Posted by Aozhouhuaren

Hmm, that is a valid question, who would be the most plausible leaders in contention for the position of President in post-apartheid South Africa? From the ANC party or otherwise.

Perhaps Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada or Oliver Tambo etc. It's interesting to think of the results of different political leadership in South Africa

Well Tambo is going to be difficult, cause he died in '93

Walter Sisulu was probably too old, already being in his '80s, and Ahmed Kathrada is out of the question, because he isn't of African origin.

What would have been more likely is that Thabo Mbeki would have been President. In actual fact Nelson Mandela reportedly didn't want to be President because he felt that he was too old, but he was persuaded by the ANC leadership to run. By all accounts by 1996, Thabo Mbeki was the de facto President of SA, in charge of the day-to-day running of the country, while Mandela had become a figurehead.

If Mbeki was President from 1994 that could be quite interesting, the country would probably be more polarised than it is now, having lost out on Mandela's reconciliatory stance, and having had Mbeki's more adversarial, dictatorial style of Government five years earlier. It is unlikely that Zuma would be President now, as he was essentially a creation of Mbeki after having become his Deputy in 1999.

Not a bad question by Richie, but poorly thought out.

[Mark-ITSOT]

If the post-apartheid constitution had made the position of President of the RSA mostly ceremonial rather than executive (with a Prime Minister and cabinet taking the executive role) then maybe one of the more liberal/pro emancipation whites could have been elected.

[Marius]

Originally Posted by Mark-ITSOT

If the post-apartheid constitution had made the position of President of the RSA mostly ceremonial rather than executive (with a Prime Minister and cabinet taking the executive role) then maybe one of the more liberal/pro emancipation whites could have been elected.

It would have been politically impossible, I promise you that.

There is no way that a non-African could have been the first post-apartheid President of South Africa, whether it was an executive position or ceremonial.

[Weaver]

"Non African"? You mean a white or Indian person?

Surely not in a racially equal RSA?

[Julius Vogel]

Originally Posted by Weaver

"Non African"? You mean a white or Indian person?

Surely not in a racially equal RSA?

Are you referring to the same South Africa that was just having its first post Apartheid elections or another one?

[Joseph Solis in Australia]

Thabo Mbeki is the alternative president. Actually, Nelson Mandela didn't want to become president.

[SirCliveWolfe]

Originally Posted by Marius

It would have been politically impossible, I promise you that.

There is no way that a non-African could have been the first post-apartheid President of South Africa, whether it was an executive position or ceremonial.

I would agree with this... and even go as far as to state that there will not be a on-African president of RSA for a very long time, which is not in the best interests of the country.

[TheMann]

Originally Posted by SirCliveWolfe

I would agree with this... and even go as far as to state that there will not be a on-African president of RSA for a very long time, which is not in the best interests of the country.

There are lots of very intelligent black Africans in South Africa, it's just the one who is in power now is as dumb as a brick.

I wouldn't say a white President is impossible for SA again, but it will be a while, no question.

As for who could have been the President if not Mandela, Marius got it right, it would have been Mbeki. Which could have been more than a minor problem, as Mandela went well out of his way to try and keep problems from occuring with white and colored South Africans. Mbeki may not go that route, which could be a problem.

[SirCliveWolfe]

Originally Posted by TheMann

There are lots of very intelligent black Africans in South Africa, it's just the one who is in power now is as dumb as a brick.

I was not meaning to imply that all the Africans in RSA are stupid... just that by effectively excluding a proportion of your people from the chance to be leader you thereby do damage... interestingly enough a very similar damaging thing as was the exclusion of Africans n the first place.

Originally Posted by TheMann

I wouldn't say a white President is impossible for SA again, but it will be a while, no question.

Exactly.. I would think a very long time personally

Originally Posted by TheMann

As for who could have been the President if not Mandela, Marius got it right, it would have been Mbeki. Which could have been more than a minor problem, as Mandela went well out of his way to try and keep problems from occuring with white and colored South Africans. Mbeki may not go that route, which could be a problem.

The more I read/hear about Mbeki, the more I don't like him

[Marius]

Originally Posted by TheMann

There are lots of very intelligent black Africans in South Africa, it's just the one who is in power now is as dumb as a brick.

To be fair to him, he's picked a decentish cabinet, and he's managed to stay out of the current mudslining between the DA, the Youth League, and the MK Veterans League.

He's done a decent job as President, but he has been in power for less than two weeks , so more than enough time for him to ock things up.