ANC national chairman Gwede Mantashe yesterday said President Jacob Zuma’s continued resistance to stepping down would leave the party with no choice but to support the route of the vote of no confidence through parliament.
>https://youtu.be/1cDuYP89IuAThe ANC announced yesterday that it had recalled Zuma as the head of state after he defied it and did not resign as instructed.
Mantashe was addressing ANC members in Butterworth, where he shared what the national executive committee (NEC) marathon meeting on Monday had resolved.
According to Mantashe, the ANC went for a comradely approach by asking Zuma to resign voluntarily immediately after the decision, a call he rejected. However, Mantashe, with specifics on time-frames, said the ball was still in Zuma’s court to do the honourable thing or face the music in parliament.
The NEC had deliberated on how the current situation of having Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC president while Zuma was head of state was not working and needed to change for Nasrec resolutions to be implemented with speed.
The party’s highest decision-making body between conferences, the NEC, had hoped that he would comply as a disciplined member of the ANC.
However, his continued resistance was not helping Zuma because he would now be subjected to the “vultures” in parliament when the vote of no confidence motion is tabled.
“We took the decision to ask President Zuma to resign on his own so he can be secured because he is one of our own and not an enemy,” said Mantashe.
“When he did not agree to that, we then resorted to the rule which says the ANC has the authority to deploy and recall, which does not mean we are fighting with him.”
However, Mantashe said the vote of no confidence would have to be tabled by the ANC because “we cannot be commanded by opposition parties”.
Mantashe said they had hoped that lessons from Thabo Mbeki, who was recalled in 2008, were going to be learnt by the incumbent head of state.
A voluntary resignation, said Mantashe, as evidenced in the Mbeki case, would earn Zuma respect from ANC structures. “Today when Mbeki speaks everyone wants to hear what he says because he listened to his organisation,” said Mantashe.
The former ANC secretary-general added that they were aware of the muted establishment of the “Forum of Radical Economic Transformation” political party, which he viewed as people who did not want to accept the Nasrec conference outcomes.
He warned that radical economic transformation (RET) was not the rallying call of a faction but a resolution of the Nasrec conference, which the incumbent NEC would implement.
Through RET, Mantashe urged emerging black entrepreneur millionaires to empower others, not only their friends and their families, so that there could be more black millionaires who would in turn create jobs. — zingisam@dispatch.co.za
ANC gives the state president a 1-day ultimatum - By Zine George
The ANC wants Cyril Ramaphosa to deliver the State of the Nation (Sona) Address, not President Jacob Zuma, and has given Zuma until today to resign as state president.
Addressing a press conference yesterday afternoon, ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule said: “There is no question about it. The Sona will be given by President Ramaphosa. Forget about fake news.”
The developments follow a heated meeting of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) which lasted 13 hours on Monday afternoon, and resulted in Zuma’s recall.
The meeting was so intense that Sihle Zikala ended up in tears, as he tried to call for cool heads and have Zuma stay on until the end of May.
The group was deeply divided, with one camp arguing for Zuma to be given 24 hours to resign or face being recalled.
The other camp wanted his earlier request – to be given a few more months at the helm so that he could attend a Brics meeting scheduled for July 25 in Sandton, among other items on his presidential calendar this year – to be agreed to.
Magashule confirmed that in earlier discussions between the two ANC officials – “comrade Zuma and Ramaphosa – in our understanding, we said it would be good to introduce comrade Ramaphosa to Brics leaders as well as SADC”.
The Dispatch understands that Zuma had asked Ramaphosa to allow him to deliver the Sona, which was earlier set for last Thursday but has been shelved indefinitely since Zuma met Ramaphosa behind closed doors last Tuesday.
Magashule said: “We came out of that meeting believing that this is our decision.
“But remember, as officials we are not a structure. That is why we had to go and engage the NEC.
“Earlier on we were happy with those timelines but the NEC, because it is the highest decision-making body, had a different view.
“So this view now is our view as an ANC collective,” added Magashule.
The argument that Zuma should be given a three-month extension to remain in office was supported by long-time Zuma allies including Tony Yengeni, Edna Molewa, Pam Tshwete and Nocawe Mafu.
But it was not to be.
Former ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa, former ANC youth league leader Ronald Lamola and Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, as well as Derek Hanekom, all supported the position that 24 hours was long enough.
“Zizi is the one who put it straight that President Zuma has been given enough time to resign since his meeting with Cyril (Ramaphosa) last Tuesday, but was being ill-disciplined by refusing to resign,” said a source close to the developments.
Ramaphosa first held a bilateral meeting with Zuma last Tuesday at Tuynhuis in Cape Town.
There was another follow-up meeting between Zuma and the national officials before the Monday night one.
In all three meetings Zuma indicated that he would not resign.
The Eastern Cape, which has a standing provincial executive committee resolution to ask officials to speed up Zuma’s recall in respect of the wishes of citizens, as they put it, contributed to the discussions.
The Dispatch understands that both ANC provincial chairman Oscar Mabuyane and secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi supported the call for a 24-hour grace period for Zuma.
Magashule said: “We have already talked about this matter of making sure we align , and we have consciously said comrade Ramaphosa must become the president of the ANC.
“And therefore if there will be a Sona, it will be addressed by President Ramaphosa.”
That was after Ramaphosa and Magashule’s visit to Mahlambandlophu, the state house in Gauteng.
Magashule said Zuma indicated: “He won’t agree”, and so, “we said it’s fine. If you can’t agree, it’s fine.
“Let the NEC take its own decisions. And we will take it from there,” he added.
The party said it would deal later with the issue of the deputy presidency. The elected ANC deputy president, David Mabuza, is the current premier of Mpumalanga, leaving the party with no choice but to field someone else in parliament.
But Magashule refused to speculate, saying: “I don’t know.
“It’s a matter for the president and the NEC to decide.
“I can’t express my view.
“But I know that there will definitely be a deputy president,” said Magashule.
WATCH: ‘RESIGN OR FACE VULTURES’
ANC national chairman Gwede Mantashe yesterday said President Jacob Zuma’s continued resistance to stepping down would leave the party with no choice but to support the route of the vote of no confidence through parliament.
The ANC announced yesterday that it had recalled Zuma as the head of state after he defied it and did not resign as instructed.
Mantashe was addressing ANC members in Butterworth, where he shared what the national executive committee (NEC) marathon meeting on Monday had resolved.
According to Mantashe, the ANC went for a comradely approach by asking Zuma to resign voluntarily immediately after the decision, a call he rejected. However, Mantashe, with specifics on time-frames, said the ball was still in Zuma’s court to do the honourable thing or face the music in parliament.
The NEC had deliberated on how the current situation of having Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC president while Zuma was head of state was not working and needed to change for Nasrec resolutions to be implemented with speed.
The party’s highest decision-making body between conferences, the NEC, had hoped that he would comply as a disciplined member of the ANC.
However, his continued resistance was not helping Zuma because he would now be subjected to the “vultures” in parliament when the vote of no confidence motion is tabled.
“We took the decision to ask President Zuma to resign on his own so he can be secured because he is one of our own and not an enemy,” said Mantashe.
“When he did not agree to that, we then resorted to the rule which says the ANC has the authority to deploy and recall, which does not mean we are fighting with him.”
However, Mantashe said the vote of no confidence would have to be tabled by the ANC because “we cannot be commanded by opposition parties”.
Mantashe said they had hoped that lessons from Thabo Mbeki, who was recalled in 2008, were going to be learnt by the incumbent head of state.
A voluntary resignation, said Mantashe, as evidenced in the Mbeki case, would earn Zuma respect from ANC structures. “Today when Mbeki speaks everyone wants to hear what he says because he listened to his organisation,” said Mantashe.
The former ANC secretary-general added that they were aware of the muted establishment of the “Forum of Radical Economic Transformation” political party, which he viewed as people who did not want to accept the Nasrec conference outcomes.
He warned that radical economic transformation (RET) was not the rallying call of a faction but a resolution of the Nasrec conference, which the incumbent NEC would implement.
Through RET, Mantashe urged emerging black entrepreneur millionaires to empower others, not only their friends and their families, so that there could be more black millionaires who would in turn create jobs. — zingisam@dispatch.co.za
ANC gives the state president a 1-day ultimatum - By Zine George
The ANC wants Cyril Ramaphosa to deliver the State of the Nation (Sona) Address, not President Jacob Zuma, and has given Zuma until today to resign as state president.
Addressing a press conference yesterday afternoon, ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule said: “There is no question about it. The Sona will be given by President Ramaphosa. Forget about fake news.”
The developments follow a heated meeting of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) which lasted 13 hours on Monday afternoon, and resulted in Zuma’s recall.
The meeting was so intense that Sihle Zikala ended up in tears, as he tried to call for cool heads and have Zuma stay on until the end of May.
The group was deeply divided, with one camp arguing for Zuma to be given 24 hours to resign or face being recalled.
The other camp wanted his earlier request – to be given a few more months at the helm so that he could attend a Brics meeting scheduled for July 25 in Sandton, among other items on his presidential calendar this year – to be agreed to.
Magashule confirmed that in earlier discussions between the two ANC officials – “comrade Zuma and Ramaphosa – in our understanding, we said it would be good to introduce comrade Ramaphosa to Brics leaders as well as SADC”.
The Dispatch understands that Zuma had asked Ramaphosa to allow him to deliver the Sona, which was earlier set for last Thursday but has been shelved indefinitely since Zuma met Ramaphosa behind closed doors last Tuesday.
Magashule said: “We came out of that meeting believing that this is our decision.
“But remember, as officials we are not a structure. That is why we had to go and engage the NEC.
“Earlier on we were happy with those timelines but the NEC, because it is the highest decision-making body, had a different view.
“So this view now is our view as an ANC collective,” added Magashule.
The argument that Zuma should be given a three-month extension to remain in office was supported by long-time Zuma allies including Tony Yengeni, Edna Molewa, Pam Tshwete and Nocawe Mafu.
But it was not to be.
Former ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa, former ANC youth league leader Ronald Lamola and Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, as well as Derek Hanekom, all supported the position that 24 hours was long enough.
“Zizi is the one who put it straight that President Zuma has been given enough time to resign since his meeting with Cyril (Ramaphosa) last Tuesday, but was being ill-disciplined by refusing to resign,” said a source close to the developments.
Ramaphosa first held a bilateral meeting with Zuma last Tuesday at Tuynhuis in Cape Town.
There was another follow-up meeting between Zuma and the national officials before the Monday night one.
In all three meetings Zuma indicated that he would not resign.
The Eastern Cape, which has a standing provincial executive committee resolution to ask officials to speed up Zuma’s recall in respect of the wishes of citizens, as they put it, contributed to the discussions.
The Dispatch understands that both ANC provincial chairman Oscar Mabuyane and secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi supported the call for a 24-hour grace period for Zuma.
Magashule said: “We have already talked about this matter of making sure we align , and we have consciously said comrade Ramaphosa must become the president of the ANC.
“And therefore if there will be a Sona, it will be addressed by President Ramaphosa.”
That was after Ramaphosa and Magashule’s visit to Mahlambandlophu, the state house in Gauteng.
Magashule said Zuma indicated: “He won’t agree”, and so, “we said it’s fine. If you can’t agree, it’s fine.
“Let the NEC take its own decisions. And we will take it from there,” he added.
The party said it would deal later with the issue of the deputy presidency. The elected ANC deputy president, David Mabuza, is the current premier of Mpumalanga, leaving the party with no choice but to field someone else in parliament.
But Magashule refused to speculate, saying: “I don’t know.
“It’s a matter for the president and the NEC to decide.
“I can’t express my view.
“But I know that there will definitely be a deputy president,” said Magashule.
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