THE Democratic Alliance (DA) has been accused of trying to reverse-engineer the history of former president Thabo Mbeki (and its own position on the man) to win votes.It is ignoring Mbeki’s track record on topics such as HIV/AIDS, Zimbabwe, race, Eskom, the arms deal, cadre deployment and internal factionalism to portray him as a "great leader", in the mould of Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu, who took South Africa "in the right direction", delivered services, fought corruption, united the country and upheld the constitution.It is time to put that allegation to the test.What follows, without analysis or explanation, is the sum total of everything the DA has said about Mbeki in this election and from the electoral stump (its official election communication). This is the composite picture of Mbeki the DA has painted for voters.You, the voter, be the judge — there are two options: has the DA fairly and accurately portrayed Mbeki and his legacy? Or has it disingenuously painted a one-s...
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