African National Congress deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe says he does not know whether the party would review Thabo Mbeki’s position in the wake of the Zuma judgment.
However he could not exclude the possibility that the issue would be on the agenda of next weekend’s meeting of the ANC’s national executive committee.
He was speaking to journalists in Cape Town, following reports that members of the NEC had said Mbeki’s head would roll.
Motlanthe said the NEC had a position on Mbeki’s tenure as president of the country.
“That issue was raised earlier in the year and the NEC decided that indeed he has to serve the rest of his term,” he said.
This had not changed following Friday’s judgment.
“If it serves before a meeting of the NEC of course it will be discussed. But as of now the position remains unchanged.”
He did not know whether the matter would be on the agenda for the NEC meeting starting on September 19.
“Only the secretary general determines agenda items for the NEC meetings,” he said.
Asked whether he could rule it out, he said: “No, I can’t rule that out of course… but as I said the whole programme for the NEC meetings is determined by the secretary general.
“So if it’s itemised of course it will be discussed and the NEC will issue a statement accordingly.”
Pietermaritzburg High Court judge Chris Nicholson on Friday upheld a challenge by ANC president Jacob Zuma, ruling that a decision to prosecute him on fraud and corruption charges was invalid.
Nicholson agreed with Zuma that the case against him appeared to be part of a strategy linked to the rivalry between himself and Mbeki for leadership of the ANC.
He said the timing of Zuma’s being recharged shortly after being elected president of the ANC in December 2007 was “most unfortunate”.
“This factor, together with the suspension of [prosecutions chief] Mr [Vusi] Pikoli, who was supposed to be independent and immune from executive interference, persuade me that the most plausible inference is that the baleful political influence was continuing,” Nicholson said.
The Presidency said in a statement following the ruling that it was not aware of any fact that could have led to the conclusion that there was executive interference with the work of the National Prosecuting Authority in the Zuma case.
SAPA
