Bid to ensure Zuma saves face on May day

President Jacob Zuma File picture: Matthews Baloyi/Independent Media

President Jacob Zuma File picture: Matthews Baloyi/Independent Media

Published Apr 30, 2017

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Last-minute preparations were being made behind the scenes to ensure President Jacob Zuma will not be embarrassed when he addresses Cosatu’s main May Day rally on Monday.

The ANC in the Free State said they heard “rumours” that masses were being mobilised to go and disrupt leaders at the rally, where SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande and Cosatu president S’dumo Dlamini were also billed to speak.

There were fears that the May Day rally could degenerate into booing scenes similar to those at the memorial service of Struggle icon Ahmed Kathrada in Durban and at the commemoration of slain SACP leader Chris Hani earlier this month. The concerns over possible disruptions at the May Day rally in Bloemfontein came after two of Cosatu’s largest affiliates, the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union and teacher union Sadtu charged that Zuma should not address workers after Cosatu called for him to step down.

ANC Free State spokesperson Thabo Meeko said they heard that there were those who wanted to disrupt the rally and that they would not tolerate the attempts to do so.

“We have got marshals who will be planted everywhere to assist with crowd control.”

Meeko said they would be busing in a “particular number” of ANC supporters to the rally.

Nehawu and the Communications Workers Union asked for Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to address the event instead of Zuma. Nehawu deputy general secretary Zola Saphetha said Cosatu could not ignore their objections on Zuma.

“We wrote to Cosatu, we are yet to be told what they had agreed on. We are in talks with Cosatu, they can’t just ignore our letter.”

Cosatu general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said although affiliates were free to raise their concerns, a decision on May Day had already been taken by the central executive committee (CEC).

“Others say call him (Zuma), others say don’t. We appreciate the contradictions, but the leadership has explained to the affiliates, in terms of the traditions. If the unions with a different view had asked for a special CEC to review, it would have been better. In the absence of the CEC, you have to live with it,” he said.

Asked if he was concerned that the issue around Zuma’s presence at the rally was likely to overshadow the importance of the event, Ntshalintshali said: “These are internal dynamics. We have to manage the contradictions.”

When contacted for comment on the security arrangement, police spokesperson Brigadier Sally de Beer referred queries to Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo, who was unavailable for comment.

Minister of State Security David Mahlobo’s spokesperson Brian Dube couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.The ructions over Zuma’s invitation to address Cosatu members come as the succession debate in the ANC shifted to another gear and attacks on Zuma intensified.

On Saturday, Ramaphosa’s campaign trail took him to Nquthu in northern KwaZulu-Natal where he campaigned for the party in the run-up to the by-election on May 24.

He skirted the problems facing the ANC and avoided attacking Zuma.

He said the community did not want corrupt councillors.

“We want people who won’t steal money. They should not just award tenders to themselves and their girlfriends,” he said.

On Monday Ramaphosa was expected to address a May Day rally in Mpumalanga and on Tuesday he will take his campaign trail to the Shembe church, seen as a Zuma stronghold.

On Saturday ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu threw his weight behind Ramaphosa, saying he should succeed Zuma as part of the ANC tradition. He was addressing the Chris Hani Memorial Lecture in Emakhazeni in Mpumalanga, with SACP deputy general secretary Solly Mapaila.

“Comrade Hani knew that when we choose a deputy, that deputy will also become president. OR Tambo was (Albert) Luthuli’s deputy. He became president. Let’s not crack our heads. When Mandela came out of jail he became president and Thabo Mbeki was his deputy. In 2007, we put in Msholozi as president from his deputy position,” said Mthembu.

He said if there were candidates who wanted to contest the president’s position “we will meet them on the ground”. Mthembu conceded the party needed a female president. “In our lifetime, there must be a woman president but she has to be a deputy first,” he added.

Mapaila gave the ANC an ultimatum to get rid of Zuma or face the wrath of a “strategic programme” against him.

Mapaila said the country had no leader as Zuma was a “proxy leader”. “We don’t want proxy leaders in the movement. The ANC must ask the president to step down and for the movement to self-correct,” he said.

Mapaila once again slammed Zuma’s relationship with the Gupta family.

“We are at a point where the Guptas have stolen our president. We no longer have a president. We have a runaway president. The ANC can’t control its president any more,” he said to loud cheers.

Political Bureau

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