Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has defeated incumbent Jean Ping of Gabon to win top post of 54-nation African Union Commission.She becomes the first woman to chair the African Commission. Her greatest challenge now is to reconcile the two opposing factions that led to her victory late Sunday, 15th July 2012. Sources say that she got most of her votes from the English speaking countries of Africa while Jean Ping got most of his votes from the French speaking states. This divide should be key in her attempts to bring the African continent together.
Dlamini other challenge is to resolve the Mali impasse.Her election has dispelled the belief that the chairmanship position of the AU Commission is a not a preserve of the 'big nations' of Africa. I hope she carries her duties diligently and with utmost zeal as stipulated in the Constitutive Act of the African Union.
Good update Deco,While it is a celebration for our sisters on climbing up the ladder,I am not as enthusiastic on SA leading the AU. I have always had the feeling that the Southern economic giant is too moderate towards leading Africa to the second liberation. That 'her election dispelled the belief...is not a preserve of the 'big nations''. I think the opposite is true. It was almost a silent policy that non of the big nations would chair.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Edwin, as much as South Africa has been moderate on issues, my reading tells me that it wants to redeem itself from that perception from that belief. The former chairman Ping is said to have failed to mobilize the AU to defend Gaddafi during NATO attacks, that's why they voted him out.Change is good as well.
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