News24.com | Zuma's antics foiled

Former president Jacob Zuma at the ANC's 55th National Conference in Nasrec. Photo: Elizabeth Sejake/Rapport

POLITICS

Some delegates at the 55th ANC national conference have dismissed the antics of former president Jacob Zuma in the lead up to and during the gathering at Nasrec in Johannesburg this weekend as just an “attention seeking” stance.

“The man is mad,” one member of the ANC national executive committee (NEC) told City Press yesterday.

The NEC member said what Zuma had done with his “fans is disgusting” for someone who claims to love the ANC.

On the eve of the conference, the Jacob Zuma Foundation announced that Zuma had instituted a private prosecution of President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing him of being an alleged “accessory” in the leaking of a confidential medical document about him to the media.

READ: Ramaphosa gives Zuma an ultimatum

It claimed Ramaphosa was criminally charged and would appear in court next year.

Outside the conference venue on Friday, suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule held a mini rally during which he told his supporters that, since Ramaphosa had been criminally charged, he needed to step down – just like he had.

But, in a statement on Friday, the presidency said Ramaphosa had rejected Zuma’s “abuse of private prosecution”. The statement said Ramaphosa had not received a certificate that confirmed that the National Prosecuting Authority would not proceed with a prosecution, so if that was the case, Zuma did not have the right to prosecute.

“Mr Zuma has not provided such a certificate with charges in the name of President Ramaphosa.” The statement read: 

Ramaphosa has in turn given Zuma until Monday to withdraw his private prosecution, or they would meet in court.

According to the ANC’s policy, if a member is criminally charged, they have to step aside and cannot stand for election for any party position.

On the first day of the conference on Friday, while Ramaphosa was delivering his political report, Zuma walked in late and delegates from KwaZulu-Natal erupted in song, cheering him on. This forced Ramaphosa to pause his speech and allow for the chaos to die down.

The NEC member who spoke to City Press described Zuma’s late arrival as “disgusting and ill-disciplined”.

“What happened yesterday [Friday] was disgusting from someone who claims to love the ANC,” he said.

READ: 'Political animals, it's in their nature to hold different views' – Mabe

“Why did he arrive late when the president had started speaking? What was he hoping to achieve?”

City Press understands from other delegates that Zuma also arrived late yesterday when the party’s deputy president, David Mabuza, was delivering the organisational report, again momentarily disrupting the conference’s programme.

“His fans stood up and cheered for him,” said the delegate. He claimed that it was clear the disruptions were being orchestrated.

However, a delegate from KwaZulu-Natal said that there were others who also arrived late on Friday while Ramaphosa was speaking, so Zuma should not be singled out.

One of the songs that delegates from the province sang was Wenzeni u Zuma? (What has Zuma done?) as Ramaphosa was speaking.

The NEC member asked:

He claimed that these were last-gasp attempts by Zuma to “poison” the delegates against Ramaphosa so that they would not vote for him.

He said Zuma was hoping that the conference would this weekend vote for a candidate he could manipulate and use to control the law enforcement agencies to not “touch him”.

“He can see now that he can no longer run away from his sins and is hoping that someone who is weak – a thief – will be elected so that he can gain control of the law enforcement agencies to not go after him. It is not going to happen,” said the NEC member.

“The elders warned us about this man, but we did not listen. We supported him for nine years and ignored all the signs of his flawed leadership and rallied behind him. And now he is showing his true colours.”

READ: Ramaphosa endures heckling to deliver frank report about ANC problems

On Friday, after Ramaphosa concluded his political report, ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe told the KwaZulu-Natal delegates that the chairperson of the province, Siboniso Duma, had asked that they remain behind.

Duma is said to have warned the province’s delegates against ill-discipline and disrupting the conference. A delegate from the Moses Mabhida branch told City Press on Friday that other delegates from the province were not interested in the disruption or whatever Zuma was trying to achieve. The delegate said it was unfortunate that they were all being “painted with the same brush”.

“Whatever it is that those comrades were trying to do does not bother us. This is a conference of delegates from the branches, and we will vote for whomever we want.

He said:

This despite the fact that the KwaZulu-Natal provincial executive committee endorsed Zweli Mkhize for party president.