Siamese Twins

You know, Kgalema's Motlanthe's run as president of South Africa reminds me a lot of CJ Hobgood’s 2001 World Title. The circumstances are different (duh, surfing and politics are as similar as fried eggs and steel wool), but it’s the sentiment of these two roles that I’m talking about.

After the Twin Towers were attacked in 2001, the World Tour was cut short and CJ Hobgood was declared world champion (he was the ratings leader at the time). He’s an incredible surfer and more than capable of winning a world title during a full year of competition. He hasn’t finished lower than 19th in the last ten years on tour, and five of those years he’s been in the top 10. Yet when people talk about 2001, he doesn’t get the full World Title Holder respect he deserves. A lot of people say things good have gone differently had the tour run its full course that year.

Now, fast forward to 2008. Thabo Mbeki was forced to resign after inter-parliamentary mutiny took place. So an acting president was sworn into the saddle until new elections take place the following year. Many people don’t recognize Kgalema's Motlanthe’s role as president of our country. Yes, he's the acting president, but that's better than no president at all. I was talking to folks the other day who didn’t even know his name! He’s a solid candidate. His credentials on paper are impeccable: Over 30 years of political experience, 10 years on Robben Island and experience working for the City Council in Johannesburg.

I’m not saying this as a CJ Hobgood fan, or an ANC supporter. It’s just an observation. Both Hobgood and Motlanthe have just played the hand history dealt and I think it’s strange that both have been slightly snuffed by some.