SOUTH AFRICA: Ruling party moves to end rift

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

JOHANNESBURG, 12 Sep 2005 (IRIN) - The ruling African National Congress (ANC) is taking steps to end the standoff between former deputy president Jacob Zuma, who faces charges of corruption, and President Thabo Mbeki.

Zuma's supporters - among them the vocal leadership of the ANC Youth League and the ANC Women's League, the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) - have alleged that Zuma was the victim of a political conspiracy and that state institutions were being used to block his bid to succeed Mbeki.

Mbeki fired his deputy after Zuma's former financial advisor, Schabir Shaik, was found guilty of fraud and corruption related to South Africa's controversial arms procurement programme, and sentenced to an effective 15 year jail term in June this year. The judge presiding over Shaik's trial described the relationship between Shaik and Zuma as "generally corrupt".

However, Zuma's supporters have demanded that Mbeki reinstate him as deputy president of the country and quash the criminal charges against him.

In a move aimed at resolving the worst crisis the ANC has faced since coming to power, Mbeki and Zuma made a joint statement to the party's national executive committee (NEC) meeting on Friday, which urged party members to respect the decisions of the ANC leadership.

Both Mbeki and Zuma stressed the need for members to respect the rule of law, and "this includes respect for institutions of state mandated to carry out law enforcement and judicial functions". They also said Zuma was "innocent until proven guilty".

The onus for resolving the political crisis was placed squarely on Mbeki's and Zuma's shoulders by the NEC, which mandated the two leaders to come up with proposals to be discussed at a specially convened NEC meeting, "which will be held as soon as possible".

The ANC executive also moved to ensure that members, including the Youth and Women's Leagues, "respect the fact that the NEC has decided on a process led by the president and deputy president [of the party], and should therefore not engage in any activity outside this process".

The NEC appealed to the SACP and COSATU, its alliance partners, "to respect this decision and await the outcome" of the special NEC meeting to be convened.

The Mbeki/Zuma statement followed an earlier proposal by Mbeki that a commission of inquiry should probe the alleged 'political conspiracy' against Zuma, which has yet to receive the backing of the SACP and COSATU.

The NEC said the ANC would have to "clarify its position" on the matter during interactions with its alliance partners, but analysts predicted that the commission would remain a 'hard sell', as the burden of proof would lie with those backing the conspiracy theory.

In the meantime, the NEC said, special attention would be paid to explaining Mbeki's decision to fire Zuma to the broad party membership, involving "an intensive political education campaign within all our structures".

Dr Sehlare Makgetlaneng, head of the Southern Africa desk at the Africa Institute, a local think-tank, told IRIN that explanations were needed as ANC members and alliance partners had demonstrated a lack of understanding of the separation between state and party, and the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary.

"I think the leadership of the ANC and its members see the need - given calls for Zuma's reinstatement and for charges against him to be dropped - for a serious political education of the rank-and-file, so they are well informed and will not embarrass the leadership of the organisation in future," he observed.

Makgetlaneng also suggested that the crisis could have been eased had Mbeki taken the time to explain his decision regarding Zuma more clearly.

"The president did not work hard to see to it that his decision [to fire Zuma] was explained and supported within the party. Even some leaders of the movement assumed that the people would understand the president's decision, particularly the legal aspects of it, but the issue has been viewed as a more of a political issue and less as a legal one," he commented.

Those supporting Zuma have maintained that an attempt "to see to it that he does not become the president of the ANC and, subsequently, the president of the country" lay at the core of Zuma's legal problems.

"They argue that legal means have been used by some politicians to frustrate Jacob Zuma's aspirations," Makgetlaneng added.

In January 2001, Bulelani Ngcuka, then national director of public prosecutions, launched an investigation into Zuma but announced in 2003 that while there was a prima facie case against him, there was not enough evidence for a successful prosecution.

Zuma condemned Ngcuka's announcement and said he was being tried in the court of public opinion, in a bid to end his political career. His supporters have charged that state institutions were being abused by those out to 'get' Zuma, and Mbeki has been the target of their ire.

Mbeki's case was also hurt by the fact that he is seen as an aloof leader, whose liberal economic policies have angered the SACP and COSATU. By contrast, Zuma is seen as a man of the people and a champion of the left.

According to Political analyst Aubrey Matshiqi, "Mbeki's leadership style, whether a function of his personality or not, has tended to be aloof and distant ... and this has had an impact on the extent to which he is loved and respected in the ANC and the alliance."

This has hampered Mbeki's ability to get his message across, particularly decisions that might be unpopular among alliance supporters.

"But to the extent that people are choosing between Mbeki and Zuma, we must not make the mistake of idolising Zuma's supporters. If Zuma survives and becomes president, there is the perception that there could be rich rewards [for supporting him]," Matshiqi added.

This was also noted by Zuma and Mbeki in their joint statement.

"We do appreciate the genuine sense of solidarity among cadres within the movement with the deputy president. However, we need to be vigilant against unhealthy forces who seek to attach themselves to this campaign. Some would be driven by opportunism ... and yet others by attempts to hide behind the campaign to pursue illegal and corrupt activities," Mbeki and Zuma said.

They rejected the notion that "individuals should be required to choose sides on the absolutely false assertion that we lead two contending factions", and stated that there was only one ANC.

[ENDS]