Durban - ANC national chairwoman Baleka Mbete has revealed that the party’s top six leaders are working hard to calm the storm as National Executive Committee (NEC) members are divided over the future of those who want President Jacob Zuma to step down.
Mbete was in KwaMashu, north of Durban, on Saturday to deliver a memorial lecture of the late ANC stalwart and former KZN Housing MEC, Dumisani Makhaye.
She said that it was not only the youth league that had called for harsher action against Zuma’s adversaries within the NEC.
She said other members of the NEC were “hurt and shocked” when their colleagues in the NEC meeting called for Zuma’s head.
“When comrades raised this, we were hurt, and shocked, but we agreed that everyone should discuss the matter.
“As the top six leaders we are going to meet on Monday (today) to have a serious discussion,” Mbete said.
She said the issue would also be further discussed during other meetings of the national working committee.
During the NEC meeting, Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom tabled the motion, which was allegedly supported by other cabinet members, including Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor and the ANC’s parliamentary chief whip, Jackson Mthembu.
The motion, which divided the NEC, was tabled in Tshwane.
After Zuma had survived the motion, leaders of the ANC Youth League in KZN openly called for those who wanted Zuma out to either resign or be removed, saying they could not work in the cabinet of a president they don’t trust.
Mbete said the call to purge Zuma’s critics, which she disagreed with, was not only coming from the ANCYL.
“The same call was also made in the meeting (NEC) itself, but I am saying we did not agree with it. We did not agree that we are going to adopt it,” she said.
The heated NEC meeting followed an engagement between the ANC veterans and NEC members, including Zuma, in which they (veterans) raised concerns about the direction the party was taking.
Mbete said the motion was not influenced by the veterans.
“We should not blame the veterans for people who raised their own ideas,” said Mbete.
She said the veterans’ meeting was “constructive and positive”. She said they were treated with respect as they were party elders who had the right to raise their concerns.
“We agreed at the end that it is important that we work with the veterans.
“They must be part of implementing the programme of the ANC into 2017,” said Mbete.
Mbete said the veterans had distanced themselves from a group called Save South
Africa.