At least one member of the tripartite alliance has rejected President Thabo Mbeki’s proposed inquiry into an alleged plot against Jacob Zuma, the Witness website reported on Monday.
It quoted South African Communist Party spokesperson Kaiser Mohau as saying: ”We don’t need a commission of inquiry; the alliance can address such issues.”
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said it will take a decision on the matter on Wednesday.
Mbeki called for the commission in a letter submitted at an alliance meeting on Wednesday to discuss the Zuma saga. The letter was posted on the African National Congress’s website on Friday.
Cosatu has confirmed Mbeki’s proposed inquiry was not discussed at a tripartite alliance meeting last week.
”It was just proposed, not debated,” Cosatu spokesperson Paul Notyhawa said on Monday.
Mohau criticised Mbeki’s move to suggest such a commission.
”This is a commission by the president for the president — what value would it have for us?” Mohau asked.
”He cannot just make these proposals. Not even the ANC knew about it. If he wanted to propose it, he should have done so at the alliance’s conference. But he didn’t even attend it.”
ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama said the alliance secretariat will have to consider Mbeki’s proposal.
”The secretariat is regarding it as a matter of urgency and the proposal will be discussed along with the other resolutions,” Ngonyama said.
Indications are that the alliance will meet about the Zuma issue this week, the Witness reported.
Ngonyama said he does not know when the next meeting will take place.
He would not say whether Mbeki and Zuma would accede to requests to be present at the next meeting.
”Their attendance will depend on their respective programmes,” Ngonyama said.
Cosatu president Willie Madisha said he expects the president and the deputy president to attend the next meeting.
”We expected them to attend the previous meeting. They should be there when the proposal is being discussed,” he said.
Cosatu secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi said Mbeki’s proposal will be discussed by the union’s central committee on Wednesday.
The ANC Youth League said it was ”not surprised” by the president’s proposal to establish an internal commission of inquiry into the alleged plot against Zuma.
Spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said the league will discuss Mbeki’s proposal this week.
”The proposal is the president’s way of handling the issue,” Kodwa said. ”But it is still only a proposal, and we will still decide whether it should be accepted.”
The Sunday Times reported that government spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe, one of Mbeki’s confidantes, warned at last week’s meeting against a plot in the Zuma camp.
Netshitenzhe would not comment on Sunday, saying the meeting had been confidential. — Sapa