"Diplomatic sources said Dlamini-Zuma had the guaranteed support of 30
countries going into the voting, and the challenge was securing the
support of Ethiopia, Rwanda, Nigeria and Kenya, countries strongly
behind Ping.
When the vote finally got underway, Dlamini-Zuma garnered 27 votes
against Ping’s 24 in the first round. In the second round she led with
29 votes to Ping’s 22. In the third, Dlamini-Zuma got 33 votes, just
one short of the required two thirds, forcing Ping to drop out as per
rules."
http://www.theindependent.co.zw/international/2012/07/20/dirty-contest-rocks-divided-au/
Dirty contest rocks divided AU
by The Independent on JULY 20, 2012 in INTERNATIONAL, POLITICS
Wongai Zhangazha recently in ADDIS ABABA
AS heavy rains pounded the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, a storm —
not weather-related, but political — was brewing in the new, US$200
million Chinese-built African Union headquarters where the next head
of the secretariat was being elected.
Incumbent Jean Ping of Gabon was locking horns with South African Home
Affairs minister for the second time this year.
Dlamini-Zuma had failed six months ago to oust Ping as AU Commission chair.
The South African former foreign minister was nominated by Sadc, which
had not had a chance to head the continental body’s secretariat since
the Organisation of African Unity (now AU) was established in 1963.
Ping had the backing of Francophone Africa as well as countries
opposed to the perceived dominance of South Africa — the continent’s
largest economy — including continental political giant Nigeria.
There was palpable tension among diplomats as they shuttled between
hotels and offices, lobbying for their preferred candidate and trying
to manage an explosive election which threatened to divide the AU.
Dlamini-Zuma eventually emerged winner, but it was not an easy road
for her as she had to survive a vicious smear campaign waged by Ping.
Ping angrily denied reports claiming his campaign was being funded by
France and accusing him of failing to manage the crises in Ivory Coast
and Libya, among other issues.
He hit back, saying SA had voted for Resolution 1973 authorising the
bombing of Libya, among other things.However, Sadc was riled by the
allegations and Botswana Foreign minister, Phandu Skelemani, accused
Ping of “sowing seeds of animosity and division among AU member
states”, and demanded an apology.
But some East African countries were reportedly angered by Skelemani’s
remarks, as they preferred comments by another southern African
country, not Botswana or Malawi which supported the arrest of Sudanese
President Omar Al-Bashir.
Fears in the AU corridors were that Sadc would lose some votes as a
result, although Zimbabwe’s Foreign minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi
appeared confident.
“Everybody now accepts that it is no longer tenable to continue to
marginalise the southern African region which has not held the
position of AU Commissioner for 49 years,” said Mumbengegwi.
“Central Africa has held the position on three occasions and now there
is no way they can hold it for a fourth time while southern Africa has
not held it even once. Losing is not an option,” he said.
However, the battle intensified after a document titled Observations
on Ms Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s candidacy was circulated.
“Accepting Ms Zuma’s candidacy amounts to fully selling out our
continent,” read the document.
It also claimed: the fact that South African Reserve Bank had private
shareholders was proof the country was not a sovereign state and
should not be allowed to field a candidate for the chairmanship.
“The central bank of South Africa is privately-owned (although
controlled by the government through legal arrangements) since the
apartheid era by an Afrikaner coalition. How could President Jacob
Zuma, notoriously unable to dismantle the Afrikaner infrastructure
that still controls the South African economy through the central
bank, claim to assume and defend the union project of Africa?” asked
the document.
Diplomatic sources said Dlamini-Zuma had the guaranteed support of 30
countries going into the voting, and the challenge was securing the
support of Ethiopia, Rwanda, Nigeria and Kenya, countries strongly
behind Ping.
When the vote finally got underway, Dlamini-Zuma garnered 27 votes
against Ping’s 24 in the first round. In the second round she led with
29 votes to Ping’s 22. In the third, Dlamini-Zuma got 33 votes, just
one short of the required two thirds, forcing Ping to drop out as per
rules.
She then ran alone in the fourth round to secure the required
two-thirds majority by 37 votes.
As South African and Sadc delegates celebrated Dlamini-Zuma’s victory,
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs assistant minister Richard Onyonka blasted
South Africa’s ‘bulldozing tactics’, saying they caused ruptures
within the AU.
Received on Sat Jul 21 2012 - 20:42:46 EDT
