Sequel to Long Walk to Freedom - Revision 2 - Chapter 4 Page 9

Throughout my political career I have been haunted by the persistent perception that the ANC was and is a Xhosa organisation, notwithstanding overwhelming evidence to the contrary. I pointed out to the officials that Oliver Tambo, Thabo Mbeki and myself came from the same ethnic group. Would we not reinforce that false perception if Thabo became deputy, I asked. Should we not rather consider for this position Cyril, an equally gifted and respected person who came from the Northern part of our country. I readily conceded that Thabo was well qualified for this position and that his knowledge of the continent and diplomatic affairs far exceeded that of Cyril. But I insisted that the latter had a lot of clout and pull internationally; in particular with trade unions, and on the vast majority of opinion-makers, especially on those who took part in the negotiations. Notwithstanding my argument, the officials were not convinced. They insisted that the general public would accept that in choosing Thabo, the ANC was guided by merit and not tribal considerations. On the contrary, my concern was not based purely on merit, but on a false perception I felt it was our duty to correct. 48