Zuma forced into corner
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma has been forced into a tight corner to tender his resignation as head of state.
Zuma’s imminent departure from the Union Buildings was hastened yesterday by the ANC taking an unequivocal decision to recall him from the highest office after days of defiance.
Yesterday, ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe warned Zuma that if he continued to refuse to obey, the ANC would have no option but to allow a motion of no confidence in him to take place.
All eyes will thus be on Zuma and whether he will give in and resign.
Yesterday, some ANC MPs were readying themselves to vote with the opposition to oust him if he continued to refuse to resign, as pressure inside and outside the organisation for him to go reached a boiling point.
So deep were concerns over Zuma’s continued stay in office – which he wanted to be three to six months – that a cabinet meeting scheduled for today was postponed.
Communications Minister Kubayi-Ngubane said: “We are alive to the developments taking place in the ruling party. Government reassures South Africans that service delivery will not be impacted.”
Even some of Zuma’s family members have implored him to call it a day.
Zuma’s nephew, Inkosi Simphiwe Zuma, speaking in his personal capacity, said: “I now agree that he should step down because the ANC has taken the decision, which we have to respect.
“But it will be up to him to comply as I have not spoken to him.
“I know that he is an intelligent man who will not disobey his party decision, but the ANC must be warned that there are lots of people who will not vote because of this decision.
‘‘Many people came to the ANC because of him.”
Parties were yesterday frantically trying to reach consensus on the urgent debate on the motion of no confidence in Zuma.
The EFF warned yesterday it could still go to court to force Speaker Baleka Mbete to expedite their motion, scheduled for February 22, and also asked the ruling party to allow its motion to be brought forward to either tomorrow or Friday.
This could be resolved at this morning’s urgent meeting of chief whips of all parties called by ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu.
The meeting of the chief whips will be followed by the ANC’s special caucus gathering in Parliament, where sources said Mthembu would give ANC MPs their orders on how to vote.
One MP, who is also an NEC member, said while the ANC was opposed to removing its leader with the assistance of the opposition, in principle they were left with no choice.
“The reason we have been repeatedly rejecting the motions against the president (Zuma) by the opposition was not because we were not aware of the issues raised about him, we have been viewing ourselves as capable of dealing with our own challenges.
“If we cannot convince the opposition to allow us to file our own motion by withdrawing, we will be forced to use the avenues available to us,” said the MP.
Another ANC MP said they were prepared to repeat what they did when 25 of them voted with the opposition in November last year.
“I think we need to vote for any motion that deals with the removal of the president, irrespective who has tabled it.
ANC structures, most of which backed President Jacob Zuma for years, yesterday welcomed his recall as head of state by the governing party without resistance.
This was while Cosatu called for disciplinary charges against President Zuma for allegedly defying his party’s decision to recall him.
Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said a decision to charge Zuma should be based on his alleged refusal to “abide by the decision of the NEC and resign”.
The federation’s statement came after it emerged that Zuma has since Monday defied an attempt by ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa and secretary-general Ace Magashule to allow him to voluntarily resign.
Yesterday, Zuma refused to sign a recall letter Magashule and his deputy, Jessie Duarte, delivered to him at the presidential guest house, Mahlamba Ndlopfu.
“The federation is not at all surprised by this level of intransigence and total inebriation with power by President Jacob Zuma.
“This, after all, is the president who working with his mercenary followers converted his cabinet into a rent-seeking, docile and unaccountable caste,” Pamla said.
The Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) leader Kebby Maphatsoe said: “As an internal part of the ANC, we welcome the decision of the ANC national executive committee.
“We respect the decision of the ANC.”
When asked what if Zuma refuses to leave, Maphatsoe was not committal on the matter, but said the ANC NEC would be able to deal with that.
Mike Mabuyakhulu, KwaZulu-Natal ANC provincial interim committee convener, said the NEC’s decision, taken following due process, should be accepted and respected by all party members as the ANC “is a unitary organisation”.
“We also want to allay this misconception that the issue of the president should be seen solely in the eyes that the president comes from here.
“In the same vein that president (Thabo) Mbeki was recalled in 2008, we think the members of the ANC in KZN will not look at this issue like that because we want to move away from the notion that because the president comes from KZN there will be a different approach.”
While the ANC Youth League has accepted the ANC’s decision, spokesperson Mlondi Mkhize said they would comment officially after the completion of the negotiation process between Zuma and the ANC national leadership.
The ANC in Gauteng and Mpumalanga have also welcomed the decision.
Mpumalanga provincial secretary Mandla Ndlovu said the “decision of the national executive committee is final”.
ANC Veterans League president Dr Snuki Zikalala also welcomed the decision.
The SACP has also endorsed the ANC decision to recall Zuma saying it was an urgent necessity for Zuma to resign or be recalled.
SACP spokesperson Alex Mashilo said the ANC decision should pave the way to the unity of the alliance in the run up to the 2019 elections.