Ousting Zuma ‘will be like nuke bomb’

THE ANC caucus in Parliament yesterday stuck to its guns in rejecting the motion of no-confidence in President Jacob Zuma, saying his removal will be like throwing a nuclear bomb to the country.

Briefing the media ahead of Tuesday’s debate, chief whip Jackson Mthembu said Zuma’s removal would not be in the best interest of the country.

Mthembu said current “irritations” should not blind public representatives.

“Voting in favour of the motion will be tantamount to throwing a nuclear bomb at our country. The removal of the president will have disastrous consequences that can only have a negative impact on the people of South Africa,” he told the media at a briefing in Parliament.

“It will result in the entire cabinet having to resign, which will lead to the collapse in government with long-lasting ramifications. It will plunge our country into complete political instability and economic uncertainty,” Mthembu said.

The briefing was called to clarify the stance of the ANC caucus days before Parliament convenes to debate the motion.

The Constitutional Court’s Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng ruled that Speaker Baleka Mbete has discretion to decide whether the vote should be a secret or an open ballot.

Mbete has yet to make her decision, but opposition parties have threatened legal action if it is not a secret ballot, while ANC said it would accept whatever decision.

The governing party decided that its MPs should not support the ballot, but pressure is mounting that they use their conscience when voting.

In KZN yesterday, the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) said it was opposed to a secret ballot – but it nevertheless wanted him to step down.

Teachers union provincial secretary, Nomarashiya Caluza, said in Durban yesterday that it would be ill-disciplined for ANC MPs to vote with opposition parties against Zuma.

She was speaking to the media when Sadtu and the South African Council of Churches (SACC) held a prayer meeting against political killings in the province.

The SACC has expressed opposition to state capture, with its links to the Guptas, but its KwaZulu-Natal deputy chief executive officer, Lucus Ngoetjana said he felt that voting Zuma out would be “too disruptive” for the country.

He said the issue of Zuma’s leadership should be dealt with by the ANC during its elective conference in December.

The ANC’s Mthembu said Zuma’s removal would have ramifications.

“This will negatively affect the poor and working-class the most as they are dependent on government for their livelihoods. If we say we are at the level of junk status just imagine what will be the impact of this move in the economic environment,” he said.

He rubbished the DA-sponsored motion as a political ploy to maximise their gains at the expense of the country.

Mthembu said opposing the motion should not be seen as defending an individual.

“We did not get into a struggle to defend an individual. We got into the Struggle to serve our people and the country.”