DURBAN - WHEN he faces a revolt, President Jacob Zuma retreats to his home province of KwaZulu-Natal where he is always given a hero’s welcome.
This weekend was no different.
Zuma went to his own Musa Dladla region , the second-biggest in the ANC with 99 strong branches and where his staunch supporters sang his praises and dared his detractors.
Nkandla, where Zuma has his homestead, is in this region.
The president was in a jovial mood and danced with music group Lerumo La Sechaba, formed by uMkhonto we Sizwe members, which sang revolutionary songs.
What is now fast becoming a trademark song for Zuma’s supporters, Wenzeni uZuma? (What has Zuma done?), reverberated through the King Bhekuzulu Hall at the University of Zululand, where the inaugural Siyabakhumbula (We remember them) event took place.
Zuma used the event to hit out at critics of radical economic transformation within the ANC, saying they lacked backbone.
“This was a resolution taken in 2012 and now we are implementing it. But some people say we are pushing for radical economic transformation because we want to steal money. And these are some of the people I trusted.” He said these people were mischievous like zombies.
Zuma called for unity ahead of the much-awaited national elective in conference in December where his ex-wife, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, is poised to stand for the top job. Zuma is believed to be lobbying for her, a claim he has denied.
The event was aimed at remembering the fallen heroes of the party. Among them was Zuma’s strongman and former Musa Dladla regional chairperson, Thulani Mashaba, who died in a car crash in 2015.
Speaking on the coming vote of no confidence against Zuma, ANC KwaZulu-Natal head Sihle Zikalala said voting during the debate would be by show of hands.
“ANC members will vote in line with the directive of the ANC. There’s no member of the ANC who will be allowed to vote otherwise.”
The contentious issue whether the 400-member National Assembly will vote by show of hands or by secret ballot is now at the door of the Constitutional Court.
Earlier this week, in the ConCourt the president took a swipe at his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, saying his support for a secret ballot in the motion of no confidence in the president was baseless and unfounded.
Mbeki no expert
He said in the papers filed in the ConCourt that Mbeki was no expert and wrong in suggesting ANC MPs would be threatened or intimidated.
Spokesman for the Chief Justice advocate Nathi Mncube said it was not prescribed when the justices of the court would meet and decide if Parliament could hold a vote of no confidence in secret.
Meanwhile, in Durban there was an equally vociferous rally at Curries Fountain – this time the big players from the SACP were marking the anniversary of the death of Chris Hani.
Pravin Gordhan’s name was not on the programme but when the former finance minister arrived he was greeted with thunderous applause.
ANC provincial executive member Mxolisi Kaunda was booed, with SACP leaders, including general secretary Blade Nzimande, eventually reprimanding the crowd so Kaunda could be heard.
Leading the disruptions was a group from Inchanga, where more than a dozen SACP members have been killed in political fighting.
As Kaunda sat down, cheers erupted again as Gordhan stood up to take to the podium.
“Let’s go back to our people at the door-to-door level and explain to them what state capture is, what corruption is, how tenders take place and how we build a better democracy, and what we actually mean by radical economic transformation which changes the lives all 55 million people in South Africa and not just a small group,” Gordhan said.
Nzimande, who was back to his rabble-rousing self, launched a scathing attack on Zuma and the Guptas. He opened with a quote from Oliver Tambo when he handed the ANC presidency to Nelson Mandela in 1991. “I have devotedly watched over the organisation all these years. I now hand it back to you bigger, stronger and intact. Guard our precious movement.”
Nzimande said some leaders could not utter the same words because they had “destroyed” and made the organisation “useless”. He said leaders should try to be like Hani, who believed all members should receive equal treatment and be judged only on their dedication and sacrifices.
“In other words Comrade Chris was saying don’t judge comrades by which faction they belong to, but by the work they do. Don’t judge them based on whether they stand in your way of looting and remove them to pursue an agenda to steal.”
Again the crowd cheered.
Nzimande said the current political climate called for leaders who were disciplined and astute.
“We did not struggle to hand over our beautiful country to the Gupta family. Comrades, we must stand up and fight this because our country is being sold out,” he said, calling for the Guptas’ citizenship to be revoked.
“This family is playing a toxic role in our country, in relation to some of our comrades who are working with this family.
“We all campaigned for elections, but now you get one person deciding who gets deployed when that should be the decision of the whole alliance. You can’t remove comrades like Pravin without consultation, then expect us to close ranks just because we are in an alliance.”