Thabo files papers in ConCourt

Thabo Mbeki has filed papers for leave to appeal the Pietermaritzburg decision in both his executive as well as his personal capacity.

This is significant for a number of reasons:

1) Mbeki is convinced that Jacob Zuma has something to answer for

2) Mbeki is demonstrating that you cannot simply move someone from power and think that, in this democracy of ours that, this is the end. By filing in both executive and personal capacity he is ensuring that the leave to appeal is heard whether of not he is in office.

3) Clearly while the NEC said that this was a decision to heal the party, this is going to cause a rift, which is going to force people to take sides. I am sure that we will now see Julius on his band stand calling for Mbeki’s expulsion from the party. The fact that he has handed in his resignation, mans that the NEC can do nothing about this for the time being.

4) Mbeki is reading the same commentary that I have for the last few days which has seen many people (claiming to be ANC supporters) shocked by the decision on the NEC and vowing that if Mbeki started another party they would join it. I am not sure that he will do this, but significantly these people have also said that they will not vote for the ANC.

In short as I said in my post yesterday the next few days and weeks are going to be interesting and I think that we are in for even more poltical moves.

Hold onto your shorts because the investor community is already jittery and any move to block Zuma from going to court will confirm the jitters and we are going to be in for one hell of a ride. I think that many high ranking officials in the ANC are coming out and saying that we need the private sector, but the private sector needs the investor confidence to be involved.