The gloves are really off. A campaign to ”set the record straight about Jacob Zuma” is central to a fight-back plan by President Thabo Mbeki’s strategists, aimed at giving him a third term as party leader at the Polokwane conference.
The campaign is set to resurrect Zuma’s links with fraud convict Schabir Shaik, and his controversial rape trial.
Mbeki’s supporters and strategists have held a series of meetings across the country in the past week, where they discussed how to respond to his humiliating setback at the provincial conferences at the weekend.
Mbeki garnered just more than 1 400 votes in the provinces, securing the nomination of the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, North West and Limpopo. He also failed to gain the support of the ANC Women’s League.
In terms of votes cast, Zuma won a landslide victory, taking the remaining provinces with 2 232 votes.
Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota told the Mail & Guardian on Thursday that the Mbeki camp has decided the ”truth must come out” about Zuma.
In particular, Zuma’s claims to be a victim of a conspiracy had to be laid to rest, Lekota said. ”The disinformation that is being spread needs to be stopped and the correct information need to be put out.”
Lekota said Zuma went ”behind the backs of his comrades” in becoming involved with Shaik’s company Nkobi Holdings, after the ANC decided not to buy shares in the firm.
”Shaik invited the ANC to take a shareholding in Nkobi Holdings and the issue was taken up by president [Nelson] Mandela, deputy president Mbeki, Cyril Ramaphosa, Cheryl Carolus and [Makhenkesi] Stofile.”
The ANC leadership had decided not to get involved with Nkobi Holdings, yet Zuma had done so in his personal capacity, without the knowledge of his comrades.
Said Lekota: ”When Schabir was arrested, it was the first time it came to light that Zuma had a shareholding in Nkobi. Now they say he was sent to Nkobi Holdings to get arrested. We are telling people that he went there on his own.”
He said Polokwane delegates would be told the truth about Zuma because ”we are not prepared to sacrifice the ANC for the sake of one man”.
Thus far, the ANC deputy president had been ”protected” by the party, Lekota said. ”We have reached a point where we cannot keep quiet any more. He must face up to what he did. Before now we had to keep to party discipline, but if we don’t expose this man, they [delegates] will not change their votes.”
Lekota said delegates would also be reminded of how Mbeki and Zuma were once as close as ”tongue and saliva” and that Zuma had served as ”executioner” when Lekota was fired as Free State premier. ”How can he now claim to be a victim?”
Mbeki supporters would also explain that the suspensions of spy boss Billy Masetlha and prosecutions chief Vusi Pikoli were not an ANC matter and ”are being dealt with”.
Boosted by claims of irregularities at some of the provincial conferences, the Mbeki camp remains confident of a turnaround at Polokwane.
Some delegates from the Northern Cape’s Kgalagadi region claim they were sent home before elections took place. In the Eastern Cape, some branches allegedly tried to register more delegates than permitted.
According to official figures, more than 300 delegates nationwide did not turn up for the conferences, meaning that these votes were still up for grabs.
Fighting talk is also emanating from the Mbeki camp in KwaZulu-Natal, where Mbeki garnered just nine votes to Zuma’s 580.
Mbeki supporters claimed that branches had been ”penetrated” by pro-Zuma elements
”It’s like guerilla warfare now. A lot of comrades are keeping their real vote close to their chests to ensure an ambush at conference,” said one Mbeki lobbyist, who believed ”substantial” gains would be made in Polokwane.
Mbeki supporters have long alleged problems in the branch nomination process, especially intimidation of members, in regions including the far North and Sisonke in the Eastern Cape.
In KwaZulu-Natal, they also claimed that provincial ANC secretary Senzo Mchunu and other pro-Zuma leaders might purge delegates who had ÂÂindicated they might flout the provincial directive to vote for Zuma as president.
”People are saying ‘I suspect you won’t vote in a certain way, so we must ensure you don’t make the delegation,’” said a source in the province.
”The Zuma camp will go to Polokwane lulled into a false sense of security. It is at the conference that some delegates will reveal themselves.”
Another view, put forward by a branch chairperson in eThekwini, was that Mbeki still had sufficient support to force a compromise deal on grounds that ”this is good for the organisation”.
”A deal will be brokered. It has happened before,” the branch leader said.