African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma’s vague statements on issues of national importance have rendered him unfit to be the country’s leader, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille said on Thursday.
Presenting the DA’s ten questions addressed to Zuma to the media in Cape Town, Zille said the ANC leader had failed to clearly articulate his views on a number of important subjects.
”It was exactly six months ago yesterday [Wednesday] that Jacob Zuma was elected ANC president, but there remain major question marks over his views on key issues of national importance.
”These include the arms deal, the disbanding of the Scorpions, labour legislation, the independence of the South African Broadcasting Corporation, HIV/Aids and the supremacy of the Constitution,” she said.
In many instances where Zuma had pronounced his views clearly, his opinions appeared to be at odds with the country’s Constitution.
”It is clear, however, that they are not befitting of the potential president of South Africa,” Zille said.
Describing Zuma’s statements as ”equivocal at best and unconstitutional at worse”, the DA leader challenged Zuma to clarify a number of statements he had made since his election in Polokwane.
”You have on at least three occasions stated that the ANC rules by divine right and implied that the opposition is illegitimate.
”Will you publicly acknowledge that all political parties are equally legitimate before the law and that the results of any free and fair elections must be accepted by all parties?” Zille asked.
She also said Zuma should explain to the nation the real reasons behind the ANC’s call for the disbandment of the Scorpions.
”Do you support Gwede Mantashe’s stated position that the Scorpions must be disbanded because they are investigating ANC leaders?” she asked.
Zille, who made a call for Zuma to engage her in public debate, said South Africans deserved to know the ANC presidential candidate’s views on critical issues that affected them.
”Yet Jacob Zuma, despite his public profile, remains an enigma to most South Africans,” she said. — Sapa