Gaye Davis
DEPUTY President FW de Klerk chaired a routine meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security and Intelligence “as usual” on Thursday as both African National Congress and National Party government sources said ANC attacks on him were simply “electioneering” and discounted any threat to the Government of National Unity.
An unfounded rumour that De Klerk had resigned meanwhile swept the Johannesburg Stock Exchange early on Thursday, in the wake of Transport Minister Mac Maharaj’s call during an acrimonious National Assembly debate that De Klerk be removed from chairing the committee.
De Klerk’s office was inundated with calls from major companies and investors asking whether the rumour was true, his spokesman Frik Schoombee said. Asked if the rumour had been planted, Schoombee said: “That would not have been in South Africa’s interests — I can assure you that is not the case.”
A government source said both President Nelson Mandela and Maharaj attended part of Thursday’s cabinet committee meeting and said the atmosphere was “completely cordial”. It was unlikely the issue was raised, the source said.
Maharaj initially called for De Klerk’s removal on the basis of reported remarks that the NP could have remained in power by using the army. Accepting that De Klerk had been misquoted, Maharaj said he would still seek his removal as De Klerk lacked the responsibility necessary for the key post.
The row broke during debate on the Local Government Transition Second Amendment Bill, which was passed by 237 votes to 102, with the ANC, Democratic Party, Pan Africanist Congress and African Christian Democratic Party for and the NP, Inkatha Freedom Party and Freedom Front against.
De Klerk’s parliamentary advisor Nic Koornhof said Maharaj’s attack, one of several by the ANC in past weeks, reflected ANC fears about dwindling grassroots support and De Klerk’s “stature”, and was part of a strategy which targeted the NP leader to “get at” the party.
He said the NP was waiting with bated breath for Mandela’s response to Maharaj’s “ridiculous proposal”.
In a statement, the ANC backed Maharaj’s call, asking why De Klerk did nothing to correct the “treacherous impression” made by the article and saying it was left with the impression “that we are dealing here with deliberate and well- calculated disloyalty to the Government of National Unity”.
It could not be confirmed by the time of going to press whether Maharaj had asked President Mandela to remove De Klerk. A source close to Cabinet said the matter was one for the president — and not the ANC — to decide.