'Ma' Mbeki ditches ANC.The mother of former African National Congress African National Congress (ANC), the oldest black (now multiracial) political organization in South Africa; founded in 1912. Prominent in its opposition to apartheid, the organization began as a nonviolent civil-rights group. chief and national president Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (born June 18 1942) is the current President of the Republic of South Africa.<ref name="gcis-profile2004" /> Early years Born and raised in what is now the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, Mbeki is the son of Govan Mbeki (1910 stunned the party faithful when she quit the venerable party and joined its bitter political opponents, the Congress of the People (Cope). The move could deal the ANC's election campaign a stinging blow. Whether she hopped the political fence to spite the ANC ANC abbr. African National Congress ANC African National Congress: South African political movement instrumental in bringing an end to apartheid ANC n abbr (= for dumping her son or for real political conviction, she is not saying. "It's a private matter," she told the local press. Her action will, however, resonate with other ANC matriarchs in the closely-knit community of ANC wives and mothers, and could cost party chief hopeful, Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (born Inkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, April 12, 1942) is a former Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa and current deputy president of the governing political party, the African National Congress (ANC). , a slew of matriarchal ma·tri·arch n. 1. A woman who rules a family, clan, or tribe. 2. A woman who dominates a group or an activity. 3. A highly respected woman who is a mother. protest votes. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mbeki's mother, Epainette, known affectionately to family and friends as 'Ma Mbeki', set tongues wagging with her recent attendance at a Cope political rally at Butter worth near her Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, as well as the eastern portion of the Cape Province. home (photo). Even though Thabo Mbeki publicly voiced his outrage at being dismissed as president, he has since repeatedly denied that he has any intention of joining the breakaway party, despite the fact that the new faction is headed by his staunchest political supporters. Ma Mbeki is the widow of Govan Mbeki, a revered ANC stalwart, and is highly regarded both for her engagement in the struggle and for her community outreach programmes for the disadvantaged throughout the province. Her defection will mean a significant boost for Cope's provincial aspirations. |
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