Mbeki’s Windhoek dinner frozen over Zuma

A dinner organised by officials of the South African High Commission in Windhoek to honour former South African President Thabo Mbeki was called off at the last minute after it was announced that his successor and political rival, Jacob Zuma, would also be in town for the funeral of the late founding president, Sam Nujoma.Namibian Sun understands that officials cancelled the dinner after finding it “difficult to not invite Zuma to the same occasion, while the two men do not see eye-to-eye politically.”Zuma was initially listed among the 37 delegates from South Africa, led by current President Cyril Ramaphosa, who were scheduled to attend Nujoma’s funeral. However, Zuma did not show up in Namibia. The reasons for his absence remain unclear, particularly given his separate political and legal battles with Ramaphosa.According to a source, “When it was confirmed that Zuma is also coming, this put embassy officials in a quandary. Zuma and Mbeki cannot sit under the same roof, let alone around the same table.” The official added: “It was going to be awkward and just outright wrong if you have both former heads of state in town and only invite one for dinner. So it was decided to call off the entire plan.”The dinner was supposed to take place at the residence of High Commissioner Thenjiwe Ethel Mtintso with a select group of like-minded people, including several veterans of uMkhonto weSizwe, the disbanded former paramilitary wing of the African National Congress (ANC). Reflecting on the decision to cancel, an official commented: “How do you have Zuma and Mbeki at the same dinner table? It would have possibly led to fisticuffs.”Kasturie Maharaj, a councillor at the South African High Commission in Windhoek, clarified that the dinner was a private event rather than an official embassy function. She stated: “It was not an embassy dinner; it was a private dinner hosted by the high commissioner.” Maharaj declined to comment further on “matters related to resources or information regarding President Zuma’s visit” due to the private nature of the dinner.The political tension between Mbeki and Zuma has a long history. In June 2005, Mbeki dismissed Zuma as South Africa’s Deputy President following the conviction of Zuma’s associate, Schabir Shaik, for making corrupt payments to Zuma linked to the 1999 Arms Deal. The rift widened at the ANC elective conference in December 2007, where Mbeki lost the party presidency to Zuma, receiving less than 40% of the vote. In 2008, the Zuma-aligned ANC National Executive Committee recalled Mbeki, leading to his resignation as head of state on 20 September 2008, and paving the way for Zuma to become South Africa’s president the following year.The cancellation of the dinner highlights the ongoing friction between the two former leaders and the diplomatic challenges such rivalries can pose, even beyond South Africa’s borders.

Mbeki’s Windhoek dinner frozen over Zuma

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-10

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Mbeki’s Windhoek dinner frozen over Zuma

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-10

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