/ 16 September 2008

ANC: Implications of Zuma court ruling were discussed

The implications of Friday's Pietermaritzburg High Court ruling were discussed at the ANC national working committee meeting, the party says.

The implications of Friday’s Pietermaritzburg High Court ruling were discussed at the African National Congress (ANC) national working committee (NWC) meeting, the party said on Tuesday.

ANC spokesperson Jessie Duarte said a discussion began on Monday at the NWC’s regular meeting at Luthuli House in Johannesburg about the ruling that declared corruption charges against ANC president Jacob Zuma invalid because of flawed prosecutorial procedure.

Duarte said the discussion would continue at the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for this weekend.

”The ANC will make any necessary pronouncements on this matter only after the NEC has discussed and resolved on it.

”The ANC calls on all members to respect ANC constitutional structures, organisational practices and processes.”

Duarte said the deliberations of the NEC should not be pre-empted.

In Friday’s ruling, Judge Chris Nicholson agreed with Zuma’s legal team that he should have been consulted by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) before he was charged for a second time last December.

He agreed with Zuma that the case against him appeared to be part of a strategy linked to the rivalry between himself and President Thabo Mbeki for leadership of the ANC, and questioned the timing of the new charges against Zuma so soon after he was elected ANC president.

After the ruling was made, there was a frenzy of media reports suggesting that the ANC was considering recalling president Thabo Mbeki.

Mbeki’s office has denied interfering in the prosecution process.

On Tuesday, the ANC Youth League said the majority of ANC NEC members agreed that Mbeki be removed from office.

”We have approached individual members of the ANC NEC to ensure that the removal of Thabo Mbeki becomes an ANC NEC resolution this weekend, and the majority of them are agreeing with us on this issue,” said ANCYL president Julius Malema at a media briefing in Johannesburg.

”We will have Mbeki removed. We don’t fight to lose. He is going. It doesn’t matter who said what, Mbeki won’t be president when we go to the election.

”It must be an ANC NEC decision by this weekend,” said Malema.

He denied that Zuma had said Mbeki must remain in office until elections next year.

”I don’t think we are contradicting the president … [but] he will speak on behalf of the NEC on Sunday,” said Malema. — Sapa