Johannesburg - Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula has gone on the offensive against President Jacob Zuma, claiming he was a “politically bankrupt” leader who married “every week”.
Responding to allegations by Zuma’s lobbyists that he was an opportunist who wanted to switch allegiance because Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe’s campaign was fading, an angry Mbalula said on Sunday he had no time for a leader who thrived on corruption.
This came after some of Zuma’s allies told The Star at the weekend that Mbalula was not welcome in the president’s inner circle because he and Julius Malema had run an anti-Zuma campaign based on vitriolic and personal attacks rather than principle and leadership preference.
Mbalula dismissed as “propaganda” the Zuma camp’s claims that he agreed to back Zuma at a meeting at Luthuli House a fortnight ago.
He said Zuma’s lobbyists were the ones pursuing him, but he rejected them because of the ANC president’s poor leadership qualities and questionable private life.
The former ANC Youth League president said Zuma’s supporters had offered him the position of ANC deputy secretary or a spot in the party’s national executive committee (NEC) in exchange for his ditching anti-Zuma forces.
Zuma’s spokesman, Mac Maharaj, declined to comment on Sunday, saying he did “not make comments on party-political matters”.
He referred all enquiries to ANC national spokesman Keith Khoza, who said: “It is difficult for us, as the ANC, to comment because we haven’t spoken to the president, and neither did we speak to Mbalula. We are not even aware if the discussion between them did happen.”
Mbalula has been tipped to take over as ANC secretary-general from Gwede Mantashe on the Motlanthe slate, but only Limpopo and the ANCYL have nominated him so far.
Mbalula added that the Zuma camp said it did not want Mantashe, but were frustrated because of his [Mbalula’s] failure to back Zuma.
“They came to me and offered me a position to neutralise me. Now that I am firm, they are spreading propaganda. They are lying that our campaign is fading. They are in for a shock. They realise that they can’t survive politically. They only survive on the basis of corruption.”
The minister denied he had publicly insulted Zuma, adding that Malema had also highlighted a problem that already existed.
“I delivered all of them in Polokwane, including Zuma. What can they tell me? People who suffer from political bankruptcy? I got where I am because I work hard. I have no time for Zuma. He has caused his own problems. He marries every week. He is building a mansion in Nkandla.”
A pro-Zuma ANC NEC member said Mbalula had “a problem” because he was probably the only minister in the world who had stood on a podium and insulted a sitting president who had appointed him.
“The problem is they thought the campaign against the president will gel, and it didn’t. So even if they change their minds, it will be opportunistic. It will not be sincere.
“Their problem is that their campaign was based on vitriolic attacks. You just wake up and decide to insult the president,” said the NEC member.
The source hinted that Mbalula could be in a different post after the ANC’s December elective conference in Mangaung, if Zuma is re-elected. But any reshuffle would be based largely on Mbalula’s work rather than pre-conference leadership preferences.
The Star