The Congress of South African Trade Union’s (Cosatu) central committee says, after discussing the situation around African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma, it is convinced that it is dealing with ”a concerted politically inspired campaign” aimed at destroying Zuma’s political career.
The controversy over the prosecution of Zuma will be discussed at a meeting of the tripartite alliance on Wednesday, Cosatu said.
The meeting will be attended by leaders of Cosatu, the African National Congress, the South African Communist Party and the South African National Civic Organisation.
”Tomorrow [Wednesday] is a meeting of leaders which will have to find a solution … to unite the alliance,” Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi told reporters in Johannesburg.
The meeting comes after Cosatu’s central committee last week resolved to call on President Thabo Mbeki to ensure corruption charges against Zuma are dropped.
It also wants Mbeki to reinstate Zuma as his deputy president.
Cosatu believes there is a politically inspired conspiracy to stop Zuma from becoming the next president of the ANC because he is seen to be too close to the working class.
Cosatu deputy general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said Wednesday’s meeting will find resolutions on a number of issues, such as how the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is conducting its investigations against Zuma, including the recent ”Hollywood” style raids on his residences and lawyer’s office.
Vavi said it is possible that Cosatu’s stance on Zuma may be wrong.
”There may be an element of correctness on both sides that there may have been corruption and that those acts of corruption and wrongdoing may have just fed into a political plot.
”If one day it is proven beyond any reasonable doubt that indeed there was some wrongdoing, I guess that Cosatu will be kind enough to say, no, we were wrong and that yes, indeed, there is clear evidence that there was wrongdoing,” he said.
Vavi said he also hopes that one day the media will say they were wrong in running a campaign with the NPA to discredit Zuma. The media need to appreciate the political crisis in which the country has landed.
Warning of turmoil
Last Thursday, Cosatu warned that the prosecution of Zuma could lead to turmoil in South Africa’s democracy.
”The political prosecution of Jacob Zuma risks plunging our new democracy into turmoil,” Vavi said at the time. ”It has already begun to divide our movement. We are in consistent contact with the African National Congress leadership and will seek to discuss this state of affairs as soon as we get the opportunity.”
Cosatu also said on Tuesday that members of the democratic movement should not take out their frustrations about Zuma on his successor, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Cosatu.
”It is unfortunate that they see her as a symbol to voice their displeasure. They are taking their frustrations to the wrong door,” Vavi told reporters.
He said Cosatu believes Mlambo-Ngcuka is a ”wonderful” person and she should be ”respected as a leader of our people”.
Since Mlambo-Ngcuka has taken over the reigns of the deputy presidency, there has been a number of walkouts and protests at gatherings she has addressed over unhappiness of the firing of Zuma.
Vavi said it was not Mlambo-Ngcuka’s fault that Zuma was axed.
Zuma campaign planned
Meanwhile, Cosatu and the South African Communist Party are planning a ”million signature campaign” to convince Mbeki to drop corruption charges against Zuma.
”We’re confident we can get that million signatures in KwaZulu-Natal alone,” said Cosatu’s provincial secretary, Zet Luzipho, on Tuesday.
He said Cosatu is also working on the formation of a ”Jacob Zuma Solidarity Front”, which will demand that he receive a fair trial.
Luzipho said Cosatu will hold an all-night vigil outside the court on October 10, the night before Zuma’s next appearance, and wants to declare October 11 ”a national day of solidarity”.
He said Cosatu will take its campaign to the traditional leaders because Zuma used to work closely with them.
It will also ask religious leaders to pray that: ”The Scorpions must be able to think independently and not act as political tools.”
Luzipho said: ”On each day of Zuma’s trial, even if it lasts for two years, there must be at least 50 people at court. It will be in the interest of the judge to see that he is presiding over a political trial.”
Condemnation
The official opposition Democratic Alliance said last week it was hard to know whether to be appalled or amused by Cosatu’s about-face on Zuma, and the labour federation’s call for him to be reinstated.
In a statement last Wednesday, DA justice spokesperson Sheila Camerer condemned Cosatu’s call on Mbeki to interfere in the judicial process, and stop Zuma’s impending trial, as ”unprincipled and irresponsible”.
”[This] calls for a firm response from the president, and ideally a reprimand,” she said.
Business Day newspaper reported on Tuesday that Mbeki ”came down hard” on key backers of Zuma at a meeting of the ANC’s national working committee.
The paper quoted ”insiders” as saying the meeting threw into focus the deep divisions between top ANC leaders over the Zuma issue.
Business Day said ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama played down the extent of the differences, saying the party is ready to meet its allies. He did say the raid on Zuma by the Scorpions was ”unfortunate”.
Business Day‘s political editor Jacob Dlamini said in a light-hearted opinion piece on Tuesday that the government should have responded to Cosatu’s tirade thus: ”The Cabinet has duly noted Cosatu’s demand and its response is as follows: Ha ha ha.”
Zuma goes to court again in Durban in October on two charges of corruption.
He was fired in June after his former financial adviser Schabir Shaik was found guilty on two charges of corruption and one of fraud involving financial dealings with Zuma.
There has been a backlash against the judiciary since Judge Hillary Squires, who tried Shaik, found there was a ”generally corrupt” relationship between Zuma and Shaik, although Zuma was not on trial. — Sapa, I-Net Bridge