Jacob Zuma could stand for the presidency of the African National Congress in 2007, and might be earning an unprecedented party salary before long, it emerged on Friday.
A decision by the ANC’s national general council (NGC) not to accept the ANC deputy president’s withdrawal from party structures pending a corruption trial, paved the way for him to accept nomination for president in 2007, ANC national chairperson Mosiuoa Lekota told reporters in Pretoria.
Based on the principle of presumption of innocence, the party would have no grounds to prevent Zuma from standing for the position, he said.
This would apply even if Zuma’s trial had not been concluded by the party’s next national conference in 2007.
”These things require that one has to act with absolute caution,” Lekota said.
Zuma is to face criminal charges after businessman Schabir Shaik, who acted as his financial adviser, was convicted of fraud and corruption.
Lekota pointed to the fact that people had been acquitted of criminal charges in the past even though their co-accused were found guilty.
”These things happen in the courts.”
He said Thursday’s NGC decision not to accept Zuma’s request to be excused from leadership duties was based on the principle of presuming an accused person’s innocence until proven otherwise.
By acting in any other way, the NGC felt it would have been pre-judging the matter. ”It was the view of council that he must continue to be active,” Lekota said.
Zuma accepted the council’s decision. The ANC’s national working committee (NWC) had initially granted Zuma’s request to be excused from duties.
Based on Thursday’s decision, however, Zuma is to resume his functions on the national executive committee, the NWC, the deployment committee and at branch level.
It also emerged that special consideration was being given to paying Zuma a party salary.
The position of party deputy president, which he retained, was not normally a salaried post, but Lekota said the NEC has been tasked with examining a possible change to that position.
”The position of deputy president is under normal circumstances not a full-time paid position,” he said. The matter was not entertained during the NGC’s discussions, but the ”particulars of the situation” would be considered by the NEC at a later stage.
Lekota criticised the media for apparently creating an impression that the NWC had ”gagged” Zuma by removing him from party leadership structures, while the decision had in fact been his own.
He denied that Zuma had been compelled by the NWC or NEC to withdraw. A misperception created in this regard had caused ”a fair amount of unhappiness” among ANC members who felt Zuma had been treated unfairly, Lekota said.
”This explains why you had some of these demonstrations and pronouncements.”
Some delegates to the council meeting on Thursday wore T-shirts supporting Zuma and chanted in isiZulu: ”Zuma is our president”.
He was convinced, Lekota said, that members attending the meeting would now report back to their constituencies that the matter had been misunderstood, and that Zuma had not been forced out of any party positions.
The NGC meeting is to continue at the University of Pretoria until Sunday.-Sapa