The ambiguity of the African National Congress' (ANC's) approach to party
president Jacob Zuma's corruption case intensified yesterday.
Although ANC leaders insist the party respects judicial independence and the
rule of law, the party's KwaZulu-Natal structure yesterday called formally for
charges against Zuma to be "withdrawn".
Zuma is due to appear in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on August 4 on charges
of fraud, corruption and tax evasion .
The call for charges against him to be dropped, first made by the ANC Youth
League (ANCYL), gained political weight at the weekend when it was adopted among
resolutions at the party's KwaZulu-Natal provincial conference.
This is the first ANC provincial structure to pass such a resolution.
At a rally shortly after the conference in Pietermaritzburg, South African
Communist Party (SACP) leader Blade Nzimande inadvertently
explained the logic behind the resolution. "This
trial of (ANC) president Jacob Zuma is not a criminal trial but a political
trial. It may be the first political trial since 1994," Nzimande said.
The SACP and Congress of South African Trade Unions are in an alliance
with the ANC, and both have called for charges against Zuma to be withdrawn.
While ANC structures have long raised concern about the National Prosecuting
Authority's treatment of Zuma, the ANCYL took the matter a step further this
month by announcing it would seek legal opinion on how to get the charges
against the ANC president dismissed.
Steven Friedman, senior researcher at policy think-tank Idasa, called on the ANC
to clarify its position on Zuma's trial, saying that the party was sending
"mixed signals" on the issue.
Although Zuma was present while the resolution to call for the charges against
him to be withdrawn was proposed and adopted, he did not
intervene.
However in an apparent reference to it during his address at the close of
conference, Zuma stressed that in politics "timing" was crucial, and one needed
"a political analysis" before speaking on sensitive issues.
"You understand what I'm saying," Zuma said.
As expected in Zuma's stronghold, his supporters made a clean sweep of the
provincial leadership contest. Staunch Zuma supporter, finance MEC Zweli Mkhize
was elected provincial chairmen and health MEC Peggy Nkonyeni as treasurer, a
first for a woman in the province.
With acknowledgements to Hajra Omarjee
and Business
Day.