Vultures get ready to pick Zuma's bones
The day of reckoning for South African president Jacob Zuma and the Gupta family dawned yesterday.
A state capture project, in which Jacob Zuma and his allies looted and plundered with impunity in South Africa, while he used his state presidency to reduce law-enforcement agencies to toothless lapdogs, has finally played all its get-out-of-jail-free cards.
Yesterday, a day after the African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee announced that it was recalling its beleaguered head of state, members of the elite anti-corruption unit, known as the Hawks, which had been previously dillydallying, descended on the Gupta family's Saxonwold compound, and initially made three arrests, with more likely to follow.
On Tuesday, ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe said Zuma will face tough consequences if he continues to cling to power against his party's wishes.
“As a disciplined cadre of the ANC, you are given a chance to resign on your own. But if you lack discipline, you will resist. Once you resist, we are going to let you be thrown out through the vote of no confidence, because you disrespect the organisation and you disobey it.
“Therefore we are going to let you be devoured by the vultures,” Mantashe said.
The Guptas, an immigrant family from India, who are Zuma's long-term friends and developed close business ties with one of his sons, Duduzane, are at the centre of graft allegations involving billions siphoned from state-owned enterprises, among other government entities.
Zuma, who had been given until yesterday by the ANC NEC to resign, now faces a no-confidence in parliament today, as the ruling party moves to force the scandal-prone president from the country's highest office.
Zuma addressed the nation live on television yesterday and once again claimed he had done nothing wrong.
Commenting on his discussions with the ANC top six leadership, which has been pushing for Zuma's removal ever since the election of Cyril Ramaphosa as party president during a closely fought national conference in December last year, Zuma said, “I asked what was the problem.
Why must I be persuaded? Have I done anything wrong. And they couldn't say.”
He also claimed that he agreed last week with Ramaphosa, on a delayed resignation.
Earlier yesterday, speaking after addressing ANC MPs at their caucus meeting at parliament, party treasurer-general Paul Mashatile told journalists that South Africans could not be expected to wait any longer for Zuma to resign.
“It is very clear that for us as the leadership of the ANC, we can no longer wait beyond today. We don't want to keep South Africa waiting. If President Zuma will at some point respond, he will respond but we can't continue waiting.”
ANC parliamentary chief whip Jackson Mthembu said depending on the availability of the Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, Ramaphosa could also be elected as the country's new president at the same sitting tomorrow. Zuma's woes are only beginning once he leaves office, with a decision expected soon from prosecuting authorities on the reinstatement of 783 charges linked to South Africa's infamous arms deal. A commission of inquiry into the state capture saga is also expected to start soon.
ASHLEY SMITH
Yesterday, a day after the African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee announced that it was recalling its beleaguered head of state, members of the elite anti-corruption unit, known as the Hawks, which had been previously dillydallying, descended on the Gupta family's Saxonwold compound, and initially made three arrests, with more likely to follow.
On Tuesday, ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe said Zuma will face tough consequences if he continues to cling to power against his party's wishes.
“As a disciplined cadre of the ANC, you are given a chance to resign on your own. But if you lack discipline, you will resist. Once you resist, we are going to let you be thrown out through the vote of no confidence, because you disrespect the organisation and you disobey it.
“Therefore we are going to let you be devoured by the vultures,” Mantashe said.
The Guptas, an immigrant family from India, who are Zuma's long-term friends and developed close business ties with one of his sons, Duduzane, are at the centre of graft allegations involving billions siphoned from state-owned enterprises, among other government entities.
Zuma, who had been given until yesterday by the ANC NEC to resign, now faces a no-confidence in parliament today, as the ruling party moves to force the scandal-prone president from the country's highest office.
Zuma addressed the nation live on television yesterday and once again claimed he had done nothing wrong.
Commenting on his discussions with the ANC top six leadership, which has been pushing for Zuma's removal ever since the election of Cyril Ramaphosa as party president during a closely fought national conference in December last year, Zuma said, “I asked what was the problem.
Why must I be persuaded? Have I done anything wrong. And they couldn't say.”
He also claimed that he agreed last week with Ramaphosa, on a delayed resignation.
Earlier yesterday, speaking after addressing ANC MPs at their caucus meeting at parliament, party treasurer-general Paul Mashatile told journalists that South Africans could not be expected to wait any longer for Zuma to resign.
“It is very clear that for us as the leadership of the ANC, we can no longer wait beyond today. We don't want to keep South Africa waiting. If President Zuma will at some point respond, he will respond but we can't continue waiting.”
ANC parliamentary chief whip Jackson Mthembu said depending on the availability of the Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, Ramaphosa could also be elected as the country's new president at the same sitting tomorrow. Zuma's woes are only beginning once he leaves office, with a decision expected soon from prosecuting authorities on the reinstatement of 783 charges linked to South Africa's infamous arms deal. A commission of inquiry into the state capture saga is also expected to start soon.
ASHLEY SMITH
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article