JZ gets a Thuli slap OLEBOGENG MOLATLHWA and KINGDOM MABUZA | 28 January, 2014 00:01 The nomination by Gauteng ANC branches of public protector Thuli Madonsela for a seat in parliament is a slap in the face for President Jacob Zuma and the partys national executive. File photo Image by: Vathiswa Ruselo. The nomination by Gauteng ANC branches of public protector Thuli Madonsela for a seat in parliament is a slap in the face for President Jacob Zuma and the partys national executive. Save & Share 0 inShare. Email Print At weekend it emerged that Madonsela had been proposed by several ANC branches in Gauteng to sit either in the National Assembly or in one of the nine provincial legislatures. The respected corruption-buster said yesterday she was not aware of the offer but said it was essential that the public protector be independent of party political affiliation. But the fact that Madonsela was nominated reflects the provinces dissatisfaction with Zuma, political analysts say. Zuma has been castigated for the spending of millions of rands of public funds on his private Nkandla estate, and for his administrations inability to stamp out corruption A report by Madonsela into the controversial R203-million security upgrading at Nkandla is to be released soon. A leaked version of the report, published by the Mail & Guardian, suggested that her findings were highly critical of Zumas role in the Nkandla affair. Though Madonsela failed to garner enough support to have her candidacy considered at the ANCs national list conference yesterday, political analyst Dr Somadoda Fikeni said her nomination showed that there was growing frustration in ANC branches with the reluctance of the national leadership to fight corruption. It is a symbolic taunting of the national leadership on the question of corruption. Though they might have known [that the nomination] was unlikely to be accepted, it is a clear call for practical expression of Zumas pledge that the party will fight corruption, he said. The ANC in Gauteng did not support Zumas retention of the party presidency at the partys elective conference at Mangaung in 2012. Zuma was booed during Nelson Mandelas memorial service last month by what is believed to have been disgruntled ANC Gauteng members. The Gauteng executive has long had an uneasy relationship with Zuma. Premier Nomvula Mokonyane, a key ally of the president, is reportedly number 13 on the provincial candidates list. ANC Gauteng spokesman Dumisa Ntuli said yesterday: [Madonsela] was in the first list and her name was removed in the final list because she did not get enough votes. The public protector has not been approached, said Madonselas spokesman, Kgalalelo Masibi. She does not know what to make of the nomination. Perhaps the branches concerned will shed more light on it. The public protector would not [have accepted nomination] because of her job requiring independence and her lack of interest in political office. A survey by Pondering Panda revealed that 56% of young ANC supporters want Zuma to quit. Survey participants said they were unhappy about scandals such as that relating to the Nkandla security upgrading. About 65% of young people said they regarded the election of Zuma to lead the ANC and therefore the nation as the partys biggest blunder. The findings appear to support a Sunday Times survey last month that found that 51% of traditional ANC voters wanted Zuma out. Political analyst Ralph Mathekga said there might be ulterior motives behind Madonselas nomination. [It] brings about two contradictory scenarios. The first being that ANC branch members could be looking to bring to the forefront someone who is seen to be fighting corruption. As an MP, she would be at the forefront of fighting corruption. Unfortunately, she does not have a good relationship with the ANC. Within that context, the call could be to say Come and be one of us. We dont believe in this thing of accountability. One thing is certain, Luthuli House [ANC head office] wont appreciate the nomination, Mathekga said. Madonselas term as public protector ends in 2016. Her nomination was made as the DA made a successful play for National Prosecuting Authority top prosecutor Glynnis Breytenbach, roping her in as a parliamentary candidate. Breytenbachs association with the DA plays well to the partys image as a corruption-fighter. ◾It also emerged yesterday that some ANC branches have nominated former president Thabo Mbeki - lending credence to reports that the ANC in Gauteng wants him to canvass in the suburbs because of Zumas reputed inability to appeal to middle-class voters.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 08:52:48 +0000
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