By Joseph WinterBBC News, JohannesburgTHE BEHIND THE SCENE
The visit of a black US president to the South African township of Soweto, heart of the struggle against white minority rule, would once have been a truly historic event, attracting massive crowds.
Instead Barack Obama was met largely with indifference. Only a small group of demonstrators protested against US foreign policy.
Mr Obama did not see them himself, however, as South African police fired stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse them before his motorcade arrived at the University of Johannesburg, where he held a question-and-answer session with a handpicked audience from across Africa.
THE DISSAPOINTMENT
.. disappointed, as the presidential motorcade went by at such a speed that he could not make out any of the faces inside the vehicles.
THE SOUTHAFRICAN PRESIDENT'S OPINION, AND HIS PEOPLE'S OPINIONSIn a joint news conference with the US leader, President Zuma compared Mr Obama to Nelson Mandela, the “father of the nation,” whose ill health is dominating the thoughts of all South Africans at the moment.
Mr Zuma noted that both were the first black presidents of their respective countries, and so carried “the dreams of millions of people in Africa and the diaspora, who had previously been oppressed”.
Mr Motloung noted that in one way, Mr Obama had achieved something even more impressive than Madiba, as the anti-apartheid hero of is fondly known here.
“What he has done shows that nothing is impossible - even a country with a white majority can vote for a black person.
“This is what we want in South Africa - when people can be judged on their ability and not the colour of their skin - that is Madiba’s dream.”
No comparisonWhile President Zuma began his comments by praising Mr Obama, he also publicly raised the foreign policy differences between the global superpower and its African counterpart.
He noted that the rise of Islamist militants in Mali and neighbouring West African countries was a result of Col Gaddafi’s fall from power.
Playing catch-up?Some commentators in South Africa have accused Mr Obama of not doing much for the continent, even though his father came from Kenya.
Some say that China is now more important to Africa than the US and Mr Obama was asked whether the US was now playing catch-up.
He replied that he welcomed other countries’ involvement in Africa, but he implicitly criticised China’s involvement.
He urged the continent’s leaders signing agreements to “make sure it’s a good deal for Africa”, for example by making sure the jobs and profits created go to Africans, not foreigners.
ZIMBABWE ON THE DISCUSSION, OB'S OPINION ON MUGABE,,
Zimbabwe, where Robert Mugabe is seeking re-election later this year, was also discussed by the two presidents and there was a noticeable difference of opinion.
While President Zuma urged the US to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe, echoing Mr Mugabe’s views, the US leader stressed that elections there must be free and fair.
One area where both presidents agreed was the need to increase trade and investment which would deliver jobs and economic growth in both countries - a “win-win formula” in Mr Obama’s words.
Mr Zuma thanked Mr Obama for getting involved in the anti-apartheid campaign and lobbying for economic sanctions against South Africa during the 1980s.
But as he said, now was the time to shift from “divestment to reinvestment”.
C'S OPINION..
I THINK WE SHOULD NOT OVER EXPECT AND OVER THINK ABOUT OBAMA'S VISIT, RATHER WE SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT AND EVERYTHING THAT HE WILL GIVE( ( HIS COMMENTS ON MATTERS, HIS SUGGESTION,ETC)AND TAKE( WHAT OUR COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES WILL PRESENT TO HIM,)
OUR EYES SHOULD BE ON OUR LEADERS OF HOW BEST THEY WILL TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE IT AND NOT BREAK IT FOR THE INTEREST OF THE COUNTRY AND SIMPLY NOT INDIVIDUALLY..
IT SHOULD BE A VISIT TO STRENGTHEN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH US AND NOT TO EXPLOIT ANYTHING BUT AS SAID "SHIFT FROM DIVESTMENT TO REINVESTMENT"
I HOPE TO HEAR NICE STORIES ABOUT MY COUNTRY(TZ) DESPITE OF THE FEW AND ON GOING SARCASTIC COMMENTS.
c
