Zuma hits out at SACP claims
President says statement baseless and outrageous
President Jacob Zuma has lashed out at the South African Community Party over allegations it made yesterday that he was planning on firing his deputy Cyril Ramaphosa‚ and replacing him with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
The SACP demanded that Zuma, as a matter of urgency, confirm or deny the rumours‚ which it said were based on “emerging information”.
It also claimed Zuma wanted to use a traditional Zulu royal regiment‚ the Amabhuto‚ to defend him and keep him in office.
But Zuma‚ through his spokesman Bongani Ngqulunga‚ described this as “preposterous and outrageous”.
“The allegations are completely baseless‚” he said.
The content of the SACP statement was confirmed by the party’s spokesman Alex Mashilo yesterday.
“The SACP condemns tribalism in the strongest terms possible and the ethnic mobilisation‚ including that of Amabutho‚ that President Jacob Zuma has apparently engaged in as part of his plan to continue overstaying his welcome in office.”
The party said because Dlamini-Zuma was Zuma’s preferred candidate to replace him as ANC president‚ such a move would make it “very clear that President Zuma is also determined to divide and destroy the ANC through unrepentant factional conduct”.
“The SACP reiterates its decision for Zuma to resign and for the ANC to recall him if he remains intransigent by refusing to resign. President Zuma’s conduct is reckless and unacceptable. The SACP is calling on all South Africans to unite in defence of our country and not allow him to go down with our hard-won democracy.”