South African President Thabo Mbeki, who arrives back in South Africa from a trip to Chile on Thursday, should act decisively on his return and ask embattled Deputy President Jacob Zuma to resign, official opposition leader Tony Leon said on Thursday.
In a written release, Leon said the deputy president had been ”directly implicated” in corruption in the judgement of Judge Hilary Squires in finding Schabir Shaik guilty of fraud and corruption.
”Following that ruling, it is clear that the deputy president lied to Parliament and violated the Constitution [section 96 (2)(b) and (c)].”
Leon reported that the DA had, at its weekly caucus meeting in Parliament, pondered the Zuma matter carefully and concluded that the fact that Zuma had not yet faced formal criminal charges had no bearing on his political responsibilities to Parliament and to the Constitution.
The caucus found that Zuma did not need to be convicted by the criminal courts on the basis of ”guilty beyond reasonable doubt” for him to be found to be unfit to be deputy president.
Leon said: ”That finding has already been made. If President Mbeki ducks this very hard choice, or postpones it, or tries to abdicate his political responsibilities on the appeal process of our courts — which could last for 18 months — he will effectively have abdicated his own leadership.”
He said the DA had maintained that the deputy president should have taken leave of absence. ”Now that Shaik has been convicted, given the specifics of that judgement both on conviction and sentencing, Jacob Zuma has no option but to resign.
”However, should Mr Zuma’s resignation be forced by President Mbeki, then the DA will certainly back the president and salute him for his political courage.
”The Democratic Alliance will seek no political advantage from President Mbeki doing the right thing.”
The relevant section of the Constitution referred to by the DA falls under the headline ”conduct of Cabinet members and deputy ministers”.
It refers to them not being able to undertake ”any other paid work” or acting in any way that is inconsistent with their office or exposing themselves to any situation involving the risk of a conflict between their official responsibilities and private interests or using their positions or any information entrusted to them to enrich themselves or improperly benefiting ay other person.
Zuma for president
Meanwhile, thousands of youngsters participating in a protest against unemployment on Thursday called for Zuma to become the country’s next president.
”Zuma for president,” the crowd sang loudly in Zulu at Beyers Naude Square in central Johannesburg.
Many of them carried posters saying ”Let Zuma be free”, ”He is innocent in the face of the African”, ”Opportunism against Zuma, my president”, ”Why not Zuma? Tell us why!” and ”100 percent JZ”.
Others wore black T-shirts saying ”Innocent until proven guilty”.
Before African National Congress Youth League president Fikile Mbalula addressed the gathering he and the crowd sang ”Hands off Zuma, hands off”.
Mbalula said the organisation’s criticism of the Shaik judgement was not racist.
”If Judge Hilary Squires was a black man and came to those conclusions … we would still say ‘Sorry sir, there is an error of judgement’,” Mbalula said.
Cosatu deputy general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said: ”Comrade Zuma is innocent. He has never been charged. He has been charged by the media and the media is not objective.”
He also told the crowd to reject calls for Zuma to resign. The ANC would decide who would be its leaders and who not, he added. – I-Net Bridge