ANC in Zuma’s clutches – analysts

President Jacob Zuma

President Jacob Zuma

Published May 31, 2016

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Thabiso Thakali

JOHANNESBURG: The ANC lacks the political will and courage to recall President Jacob Zuma because he has the party in his clutches, analysts say.

This is the view of analysts, who maintain the ANC is projecting Zuma’s blunders as minimal as a “political calculation” to strengthen the party head of local government elections.

It emerged yesterday that Zuma had again come out unscathed at the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) meeting in Pretoria at the weekend.

The ANC announced that its branches overwhelmingly affirmed the decision of the national working committee not to recall Zuma, despite the Constitutional Court ruling on the Nkandla matter.

On the allegations of state capture by the Gupta family, the ANC said an investigation on the matter became a “fruitless exercise” after only one person out of eight complainants was prepared to give a written submission.

Political analyst Professor Tinyiko Maluleke said the message was clear that Zuma would not be going anywhere, which was not surprising.

“This means the ANC NEC does not have courage or sufficient consensus to take any decisive action.

“The attempt to investigate the allegations of state capture by the Guptas through the secretary-general’s office seems to have failed dismally and that should worry the party,” said Maluleke.

Another analyst, Professor Susan Booysen, said while she did not expect the party to turn against Zuma, the outcome of the NEC meant “Zuma is now firmly in control of the party”.

“A big part of the ANC plan is to project his missteps as minimal and this gives them strong inference going into local government elections,” she said.

“There may be differences in the party, but Zuma’s grouping is in charge. This is the same group that put him to power, so if they take him out, it would reflect on them as much as it would on the president.”

Booysen said this didn’t mean there was no pressure inside, but that the party had made political calculations.

She added it would take immense courage from anyone to submit written statements on state capture that would delegitimise their own political bosses.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said branches of the party emphasised the importance of unity, and that accepting the president’s apology must contribute to unity of the movement.

“As we accepted the apology, we also reminded ourselves that we should devise a formula for dealing with the mistakes we are committing,” he said.

Mantashe explained, however, that the allegations of state capture were serious and could not be treated lightly.

“The NEC has advised comrades to formalise their complaints to institutions that deal with complaints of this nature.

“If people say, ‘we fear for ourselves and for our jobs if we come forward and disclose who we are’, we may be targeted’, and they want an independent inquiry, we say, ‘go to institutions if you think that it is risky to raise issues with the ANC’.”

He cited the SAPS, auditor-general, public protector and other Chapter Nine institutions as options.

Mantashe took aim at the four major banks that closed the accounts of the Gupta family holding company, Oakbay Investments, saying the question of whether there was collusion has to be looked at.

“The capacity of the bank to close businesses at will without any obligation to disclose reasons is dangerous. It’s too big a power given to institutions,” he said.

“We must look into the threat to employment because that will be the consequence. Our view is that we should never allow injustice to be exercised under the disguise of being strict with regulations.”

Mantashe also dismissed fears of political instability in the country playing in the hands of rating agencies who are reviewing the country’s investment grade status.

He said the ANC was not doing things to impress rating agencies, but “doing work that is good for the country, and the agencies must rate that”.

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