Ann Eveleth
The special amnesty mooted for KwaZulu-Natal may help African National Congress chairman Jacob Zuma’s bid for the party’s deputy presidency, but the idea is still highly controversial within ANC ranks.
ANC leaders say details of the proposal to grant a special amnesty to KwaZulu-Natal’s warlords has
not been discussed by either the party’s national executive committee or its provincial structures.
Presidential spokesman Parks Mankahlana said the idea had not yet been discussed with President Nelson Mandela, but added: ‘Zuma understands KwaZulu-Natal’s problems better than anybody in the ANC, so I’m sure the president would listen to his proposal’.
Other ANC leaders said a successful peace effort in KwaZulu-Natal would be the feather in Zuma’s political cap and would bolster his chances of securing the ANC deputy presidency.
They said a proposal also on the table to split the party’s deputy presidency from the national deputy presidency ‘ both of which are currently held by Thabo Mbeki ‘ would pave the way for Zuma to take the party’s second post, but leave room for him to continue leading the province if Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi decided to return after the demise of the government of national unity.
KwaZulu-Natal ANC deputy chairman S’bu Ndebele said the amnesty proposal formed part of a ‘peace package’ which the party’s provincial conference earlier this month had resolved to offer the IFP.
He said the plan would still have to be negotiated with the IFP. The proposal under consideration would see the ‘disclosure’ function of the truth commission revised in the case of KwaZulu-Natal ‘ and probably the Gauteng townships affected by violence between the two parties ‘ to mean ‘disclosure and dismantling of paramilitary structures and weapons’, rather than disclosure of past crimes.
The IFP was this week non-committal on whether it would accept such a deal as bilateral talks between the two parties still had to take place. Party secretary general Ziba Jiyane said: ‘Any serious peace proposal must be supported.’