Zuma boosted after ruling party says that bid to oust him will fail
SOUTH AFRICA’S ruling party has given a boost to the country’s embattled president, saying an opposition effort to force Jacob Zuma’s resignation after he fired the finance minister will fail.
Gwede Mantashe, secretarygeneral of the African National Congress, also said the party is “gravely concerned” about rare shows of division among top party leaders, some of whom – including himself – publicly criticised Mr Zuma’s cabinet reshuffle last week.
The dismissal of finance minister Pravin Gordhan deepened concerns about government corruption and led the Standard & Poor’s agency to lower South Africa’s credit rating, citing political instability and threats to economic growth.
Mr Mantashe spoke a day after a meeting of a key party panel, the National Working Committee.
Late on Tuesday, the ruling party released an email of what appeared to be committee meeting notes that indicated significant support for Mr Zuma, despite scandals that contributed to big ANC losses in local elections last year.
The party later said the notes were sent in error and did not reflect the party’s position.
The committee’s official statement yesterday acknowledged calls from some ruling party allies, including the South African Communist Party and the country’s biggest labour group, for Mr Zuma to resign.
It said it would keep engaging with those allies “on this matter”, disappointing critics who had hoped for more forceful language against a president who has been enmeshed in scandals for years.
Mr Zuma was forced to reimburse some state money after the Constitutional Court ruled against him in a dispute over millions of dollars spent on his private home.
His ties to the Guptas, an Indian immigrant family previously accused of trying to steer the selection of cabinet picks in order to promote its businesses, have come under scrutiny.
Mr Zuma has denied any inappropriate influence on his selections, and the Guptas deny any wrongdoing.