Mbeki on Zuma: defying the Constitution is “counter-revolutionary”
Former president Thabo Mbeki is expected to release a letter on Monday, detailing what the current storm around president Jacob Zuma means for the country and its future.
In a preview of the lettter released on Sunday, the former president says that the Contitutional Court judgement against Zuma must be implemented fully – failing to do this would threaten the entire democracy of South Africa, Mbeki said.
While not pointing a finger to Zuma directly, the former president – who was recalled from the office in 2008 – said that the failure to observe foundational values, as entrenched in the Constitution, could constitute a “counter-revolutionary act”.
Mbeki has joined a growing list of dissenting voices taking aim at the president, which includes senior voices in his own party, the ANC.
People who are calling on the president to go include: former finance minister Trevor Manuel; Dennis Goldberg, who stood trial with Mandela; Ben Turok, who once headed the ANC’s ethics committee; and Cheryl Carolus, the ANC’s ex-deputy secretary-general who has served as South Africa’s high commissioner to London.
Businessman, Christo Wiese; Mandela’s former prison mate, Ahmed Kathrada; a group of 42 descendants of some of South Africa’s most prominent political families; religious organisations – including the Anglican Church of SA‚ the Evangelical Alliance‚ and the South African Christian Leadership Initiative – have all backed the campaign to oust him.
The move against Zuma started after he pushed one scandal too far in December 2015, in what has become known as South Africa’s “9/12”. At the time, Zuma unexpectedly fired that country’s finance minister, Nhlanhla Nene, causing the country’s economy to collapse, wiping R500 billion off the map in a matter of days.
Following the clumsy hiring and firing of then-unknown ANC back-seater Des van Rooyen, shocking claims were made by deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas, that he was approached by the Gupta family – friends of Zuma – for the position of finance minister, prior to Nene’s axing.
The revelations put the Gupta family and Zuma under further scrutiny – and after the Constitutional Court found that the president had violated the constitution in the ongoing saga of Nkandla, the president has become to be seen as a liability for the ANC.
According to reports, the ANC is divided on Zuma, but insists on putting up a united front ahead of the Municipal Elections to be held in August 2016.
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