Johannesburg - Cosatu boss Zwelinzima Vavi’s sex scandal with a junior employee appears to be tearing the alliance between the ANC and its political partners apart.
In what could be the strongest indication that the tripartite alliance is in tatters, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) berated ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte on Tuesday for “selective morality and gender activism” over her critique on the sex scandal.
In a veiled attack on President Jacob Zuma, Numsa accused Duarte and the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) of targeting Vavi while they did not do the same when Zuma was facing rape charges against him.
Numsa said the “ANC of which Duarte is a leader is not immune to sex scandals”.
“Where were they during the allegations of rape against JZ (Jacob Zuma) involving an HIV-infected child whose parents would have been devastated, had they been alive, that a family friend and comrade could abuse and betray (their) trust…?” asked Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim. Jim was responding to Duarte’s criticism in an opinion piece in a weekly newspaper, entitled “Don’t mask exploitation with claims of conspiracy”.
Referring to the whereabouts of the woman who was at the centre of the rape charges against Zuma, Jim asked: “And while we are on this subject, where is the poor woman in question, in the JZ saga?”
Duarte refused to comment. She said: “I have nothing to say to Numsa.”
In May 2006, the Johannesburg High Court acquitted Zuma of the rape charges against him.
Jim’s statements could cause further ructions within the tripartite alliance.
The Numsa boss said the alliance had “over the many decades lived with scandalous sexual behaviour by senior leadership” within the ANC.
“Today we hear from the grapevine of present-day leaders who have been deceiving their wives or partners by having sexual encounters with fellow comrades or office staff or subordinates. We expect the same critique to be publicly advanced by the likes of Comrade Duarte and the ANCWL.”
Jim said Duarte was the “second most-powerful” leader of a corrupt ANC, and her actions could “contribute to the destruction of Vavi”.
“… Duarte is the current deputy secretary-general of the ANC whose current national leadership is extremely unhappy with Vavi’s unfailing denunciation of widespread ANC corruption, failure to transform the education and health systems… e-tolls, labour brokers, collapsing local governments…”
Jim then listed alleged misconduct by Duarte while she was serving as Gauteng safety and security MEC in 1998. This included her alleged “driving of an official state vehicle without a driving licence and failure to report an accident on time”, “general accusations of corruption and mismanagement”, among others.
“The gentleman who she (Duarte) was accused of having bought unauthorised air tickets to Portugal was widely rumoured to be her lover at the time …” Jim added, reminding Duarte that “history is littered with instances where sex was used as a tool to defeat political opponents”.
He said: “More than anything, Duarte’s column confirms to us the exploitation for political purposes of the allegations of sexual impropriety against Vavi. Duarte has a bone to grind with Vavi, for her party (ANC).
“And for this she is shamelessly willing to see him crucified even for an offence he has not been found guilty of.”
ANCWL deputy president Nosipho Ntwanambi denied accusations that the league had prejudged Vavi.
She maintained the league’s stance that “the rape allegations are a criminal matter that should have been reported to the police”.
The ANC could not be reached for comment.
The Star