Cosatu continues call for Zuma to resign

ANC alliance partners yesterday slammed the party’s national executive committee’s (NEC) failure to recall President Jacob Zuma from the Union Buildings.

Zuma survived a second motion of no confidence at the weekend, and warned that it was going to be the last time he tolerated such calls.

Yesterday SACP second deputy general secretary Solly Mapaila expressed the party’s disappointment that the ANC did not remove Zuma. “We are extremely disappointed. The policies of our movement are being broken, the principles are being disregarded and this is largely done by one individual,” he said.

“There has been a corporate capture of our democracy, what has been referred to as a ‘silent coup’. Then the NEC of our movement sits and comes to this decision – to allow the ultimate protagonist of this process to get off scot-free.”

Mapaila was speaking on the sidelines of Cosatu’s central committee meeting at the St George’s Hotel in Irene, outside of Pretoria.

He said Zuma had let down the people of South Africa and the NEC’s weekend decision would come back to bite the alliance.

Nehawu deputy president Mike Shingange said the call for Zuma to step down was made in the interest of the alliance because Zuma was an embarrassment.

“Remember, as Cosatu, we are in an alliance with the ANC and not with Zuma. So, when we think that Zuma continuously embarrasses us as an alliance, we can’t be proud of having him at the helm of the alliance,” Shingange said.

“Cosatu will continue to make those calls even after the central committee meeting ends.”

Tyotyo James, Cosatu first deputy president, reiterated the union’s support for Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to ascend the ANC presidency.

In response, delegates sang “Zuma must go”.

Ramaphosa is expected to address the event this morning. Cosatu general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said the federation was going to explain to the ANC leadership why Zuma must go.

“We will go to them and explain why the president has to step down. We will also explain why we are making public pronouncements,” he said. “We are accused that all the problems in the ANC were started by us saying comrade Cyril should be the next president.”