Original sentence: On the other hand, some have focused on other considerations.Regardless of Mbeki's motives for firing him, though, Zuma's political future now rests on whether he can make a credible defense against the corruption charges brought against him in the setting of an unequivocal judgement against Shaik.Zuma and Mbeki represent different constituencies within the African National Congress, and some leftists saw his firing as an opportunity for Mbeki's more market-oriented wing of the party to gain further ascendancy
Edited sentence: However, these various points of view are not mutually exclusive.In the end, Zuma's association with Shaik gave Mbeki an opportunity to consolidate power and stand on principle, simultaneously.On the other hand, some saw more sinister reasons.Others saw an ethnic divide, while yet others pointed to a simple difference in style:  Zuma is warm, open and a non-racialist, while Mbeki is seen as cold, aloof and willing to use race as a political tool.Where Zuma will go from here is not clear; he retains a role within the ANC, but in that role is restricted to expressing political loyalty to the president who fired him.Zuma has never belonged to the Mbeki "inner circle", and some leftists saw his firing as an opportunity for Mbeki's more market-oriented wing of the party to gain further ascendancy