Cosatu makes Mbeki bribe claims

2007-12-04 21:00

Johannesburg - North West ANC delegates are being threatened and bribed to vote for President Thabo Mbeki at the party's national conference later this month, Cosatu said on Tuesday.

Solly Phetoe, North West provincial secretary of the Congress of SA Trade Unions, said a number of delegates had complained of this.

They said they were approached to support a move for Mbeki to remain at the helm of the ruling party for a third term.

Phetoe also charged that the nomination process in the province had been flawed - the North West was one of four provinces which nominated Mbeki to remain president of the African National Congress.

He said a total of 333 people had voted, but only 280 delegates were attending the conference, hence Mbeki's 186 votes over party deputy president Jacob Zuma's 88 in the province was unfair. Some branches were also left out of the nomination process completely.

"This clearly means that those electoral officers are not honest and not neutral... what we are saying is that more people were allowed to vote then were supposed to," he said.

R2 000, jobs

Alfred Motsi, provincial chair of the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veteran's Association, said he was aware of a number of people who were offered bribes in return for their support of Mbeki.

Some were offered R2 000 while others were offered employment.

Motsi claimed he had been victimised for his support of Zuma - his car had been damaged twice. He had since opened two cases of malicious damage to property.

Phetoe condemned the "attitude and conduct of some individual ANC leaders" carrying out these threats.

He also slammed those who were calling the Women's League "sell-outs" after they had, in a surprise move, nominated Zuma for president of the ANC.

The league's decision recently drew criticism from several senior ANC figures.

'Stop being used'

"Our branches must elect the president they want for the ANC and for the country, and that is Comrade Jacob Zuma," he said.

"We call on all branches, delegates, including those who are being used against the democratic processes, to stop being used, and allow ANC members and branches to double their support for comrade Jacob Zuma for President."

Phetoe called upon the ANC National Executive Committee to listen to and resolve the dispute which ANC branches in the province had registered.

He charged that complaints which were registered with higher structures of the ANC were often referred back and nothing was done about them.

- SAPA