Coup leaders unwelcome to South Africa inauguration

The presidents of Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mauritania and Guinea have not been invited to the inauguration of South Africa’s next president on May 9 because they came to power undemocratically.

JOHANNESBURG, Thursday

Some four African heads of state will be missing from the inauguration of South Africa’s next president on May 9.

And not that the four will be committed or unwillingly to attend the auspicious occasion…they are not welcome to the rainbow nation because they came to power undemocratically.

The four marked men are the presidents of Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mauritania and Guinea.

The South Africa-based diplomats of the four nations have also not been invited to the ceremony that will take place at the Union Buildings in Tshwane (Pretoria).

Also not to be invited to the ceremony is the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader.

The announcement that has made many wonder whether South Africa was getting cosy with African tyrants, was made by the country’s director-general of foreign affairs, Mr Ayanda Ntsaluba, in Tshwane on Tuesday.

According to the Foreign editor of the South African daily, The Star, Mr Peter Fabricius, “Mr Ntsaluba seemed to be referring to the African Union rule that suspended governments from AU business if they come to power by unconstitutional means.

To many, such a rule does no more than protect sitting African presidents, majority of whose misgovernance is legendary.
Some of them, by either not conducting regular elections, or by manipulating their countries’ poll processes, have remained in power for several decades. They include Gabon’s Omar Bongo, in power since 1967, and current AU chairman, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, who has ruled Libya since 1969.

Interestingly, some of the leaders, such as Col Gaddafi, owe their ascendance to power to military coups.

It is instructive that at the time of Mr Ntsaluba’s announcement, a victim of the latest coup in Africa, Madagascar’s Marc Ravalomanana, was in South Africa.

Mr Ravalomanana was last month forced out of power in a popular revolt led by former disc jockey and Antananarivo mayor Andriy Rajoelina.

Mr Ravalomanana, who was forced out of office on March 17, had on Monday said in Johannesburg that he still regarded himself as president of the Indian Ocean island nation.

As for the Dalai Lama, Mr Ntsaluba said he was the leader of a Tibetian Government-in-exile, and no such governments were being invited to the inauguration.

Just last month, the South African Government sparked off a controversy when it refused to grant the Dalai Lama an entry visa to enable him attend a ceremony to honour Nobel laureates in the country.

The ceremony was later cancelled altogether following a barrage of criticism directed at South Africa, especially from human rights organisations, and the declaration by retired South African Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu that he would not attend the function to show solidarity with the Dalai Lama.

The decision to keep the Dalai Lama out of South Africa was believed to have been arrived at following pressure on the government from the Chinese Government.

South Africa’s next president will take office nearly three weeks after the elections on Wednesday (April 22).