Zuma crisis meeting for ANC top six

Mogomotsi Magome

THE ANC’S top six leaders are to retreat for a crisis meeting as the pressure mounts on President Jacob Zuma to step down, following a damning Constitutional Court ruling against him over the Nkandla scandal.

This comes as they scramble to find ways to deal with, and consider, the implications of the unanimous and scathing judgment that Zuma had failed to uphold, defend and respect the constitution.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe announced yesterday the ANC’s top six would meet urgently to discuss the ruling’s implications.

This comes as a group of former Umkhonto we Sizwe generals, which had called for a special national conference of the ANC to elect new leadership, also said it was studying the ruling’s implications.

The ANC’s top six consist of Zuma, Mantashe, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, chairperson Baleka Mbete, deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte and treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize.

They can decide on the way forward, but the ANC’s national executive committee – the highest decision-making body between conferences – will have the final word on any action against the president.

Yesterday’s ruling comes hot on the heels of the NEC reaffirming its confidence in Zuma, following the debate on “state capture” – spurred by shocking revelations by Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas that he had been offered the Finance minister’s job by members of the Gupta family.

The Constitutional Court found Zuma and the National Assembly had failed to uphold the constitution, and set aside the National Assembly resolution on the Nkandla matter.

Zuma has enjoyed a spirited defence by the ANC and its MPs on the Nkandla issue.

Yesterday’s court ruling described as unlawful the decision to ignore Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s remedial action that Zuma must pay a reasonable portion of the costs of non-security features that were part of upgrades at his Nkandla home.

ANC alliance partners welcomed the judgment, but Siphiwe Nyanda, who leads the group of former Umkhonto we Sizwe generals, said: “This group is going to meet to discuss and deliberate the Constitutional Court ruling because it is now more serious, more far-reaching than the incident (revelations by Jonas) that informed our first letter.

About a special national conference they called for in their first letter, Nyanda said: “I cannot speak on behalf of the people who signed the first letter, but this judgment will be studied because its implications affect the president, members of the executive and Parliament.”

While the ruling has spurred proceedings by the official opposition DA to impeach the president, constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos said this process would be futile.

“It is the leadership of the ANC that will decide what political action, if any, should be taken against the president. If the party leadership becomes convinced that it stands to lose serious ground in the local government elections or that it stands to lose its overall majority at the next national elections, it may well be persuaded to act,” said De Vos.

Cosatu urged all parties involved to abide by the ruling.

“We respect the clarity provided by the court’s ruling on this matter and we call on all concerned parties to implement the court’s ruling with-out fail.

“This court judgment is exceptionally significant for our growing democracy because it has also helped to shed some light on the contentious issue of the separation of powers,” said Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla.

The SACP said its political bureau would convene a plenary session today and study the judgment in detail before giving a comprehensive statement.