If you want an indication of the widely diverging opinions that Thabo Mbeki inspires, take a look at Ronald Suresh Roberts’ (utterly unsurprising) apologia and John Pilger's (no less shocking) indictment of Mbeki in The Mail & Guardian. Neither the hero nor villain narrative is compelling, as Pilger acknowledges before then villainizing Mbeki, but these poles fairly accurately reflect the dualistic ways by which many think about South African politics.