Johannesburg | Wednesday
SOUTH Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) slapped down popular leader Winnie Madikizela-Mandela for her conduct towards President Thabo Mbeki, in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The censure comes amid a public uproar over the conduct of Mbeki, who is also ANC president, for pushing Madikizela-Mandela away when she tried to kiss him at a Youth Day rally Saturday after arriving late.
Mbeki raised his arm to fend off the ex-wife of former president Nelson Mandela when she leaned close to kiss him on the dignitaries’ podium. In the process, he struck her in the face and knocked her hat off.
“The ANC believes that the behaviour of the president of the ANC Women’s League (Madikizela-Mandela) was unbecoming of her standing as a leader,” said the statement, signed by ANC representative Smuts Ngonyama.
“The ANC disapproves strongly of this behaviour,” it added.
Ngonyama said Madikizela-Mandela had been approached to seat herself according to protocol but had defied the request.
“Determined to flaunt her disrespect for the occasion and for everybody else, she marched on to the podium and proceeded to enjoin the president into her tomfoolery.
“President Thabo Mbeki went on to protect himself against this caper,” Ngonyama said.
Madikizela-Mandela has a reputation for theatrically late arrivals, usually attracting applause and disrupting proceedings.
The ANC’s stand contrasts with that of opposition parties, which called on Mbeki in parliament Tuesday to apologise to Madikizela-Mandela for his bad manners.
Relations between Mbeki and Madikizela-Mandela are frosty and she wrote to Deputy President Jacob Zuma last year to ask him help her heal the rift. But the letter, which mentioned rumours linking Mbeki to a married woman, was leaked to the press. – AFP
ZA *NOW:
Touchy Thabo wont hug Winnie June 18, 2001