Kgalema Motlanthe: A Political Biography was released in Johannesburg on 11th October 2012.
Authored by former trade unionist Ebrahim Harvey, Motlanthe expresses unhappiness about how the party's current leadership handles service delivery, the abuse of state organs, and the state of affairs in the ANC.
In the Biography Motlanthe also reveals the reason for the breakdown of his marriage and his pending divorce from Mapula Motlanthe, a beautiful woman he met on a train on July 3 1970.
A section of the biography about his time on Robben Island, titled “Prison letters and a painful episode”, tells how Motlanthe’s wife fell pregnant by another man while he was serving time.
Motlanthe also bemoans African National Congress leaders for expelling former ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema.
An extract from the book reads: "Kgalema's hopes for the new Zuma term were dashed in several major respects, but he does not try to distance himself from the problems. The situation for the poor majority, relations between the ANC and its allies and the state of affairs within the ANC itself are all on the whole very much as they were under [former president Thabo] Mbeki"
Speaking to Radio Islam’s Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat, Ebrahim Harvey said Motlanthe's experiences on Robben Island was very decisive. “There from that moment, on that trajectory I would absolutely say that, and perhaps even more then Nelson Mandela, this is a huge thing to say…But I'll be comfortable in saying that Walter Sisulu in particular had a massive influence on Kgalema. (That's why) I end the book on that note. You know the obituary that he paid to Sisulu at his passing, which I said, he may not have realized that he was speaking about himself,” said Harvey.
Asked by Moulana Ravat if public opinion with regards to Motlanthe lacking leadership skills and if he was assertive and decisive enough to drive processes forward, Harvey said no."The one thing about being Kgalema Motlanthe's biographer I feel sometimes it's so difficult for me. I am very critical of him and the ANC in this book."
“Kgalema deserves some recognition and he deserves… and it has compelled me as his biographer to take a stand to defend him. If you are familiar with ANC conferences and his reports to the ANC conferences, Kgalema has been scathingly critical of what is happening in the ANC long, long ago,” added Harvey.
Harvey reiterated, “If you say this man does not take a stand, you don’t know what you are talking about. Then you haven’t read the book, and you are not following the media before the book came out…” He added that Motlanthe could be very assertive when he needed to be.
Harvey said the book experienced several delays and it was a coincidence that it came out as nominations for the ANC leadership battle opened.
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