Johannesburg - THE ANC-led alliance has come out of its five-day meeting in defence of recent government actions on controversial issues including the Nkandla debacle.
The alliance, which includes the ANC, SACP, Cosatu and Sanco, also defended government’s decision to defy the court ruling instructing it to arrest Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.
Speaking at the conclusion of its alliance summit on Wednesday evening, alliance leaders described as a distortion suggestions that President Jacob Zuma was central to the issues related to security upgrades at his private home. ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe led the offensive saying: “The parliamentary ad-hoc committee on Nkandla must conclude its work. And the civil and criminal processes for those involved in the inflation of prices must be concluded.
“Let’s not forget the public protector found there was no undue influence or corruption on the part of the president.”
The alliance leaders described the decision not to arrest al-Bashir as a political consideration which needed to be understood not only as a judicial matter.
They claimed arresting him would have had dire consequences for the country elsewhere on the continent, including on its peace-keeping missions.
Labour Bureau