Knives out for Mbeki

2008-05-11 10:43

Caiphus Kgosana, Piet Rampedi and Moffet Mofokeng

Johannesburg - The SA Communist Party is calling for the removal of President Thabo Mbeki from office before the end of his term next year.

This comes as his allies within the ANC in provinces, especially premiers who hold dual positions as organisational chairpersons, are also under threat by supporters of Jacob Zuma who want to wipe the leadership stakes clean of traces of Mbeki supporters.

At the same time, Mbeki's legacy is under serious attack from the new ANC leadership and the alliance partners, with calls for a sweeping reorganisation of key state cogs that are a result of Mbeki's leadership.

A call for Mbeki's recall, spearheaded by the SACP, emerged at the alliance summit which is under way in Johannesburg.

Loss of confidence in Mbeki

The SACP resolved that they had lost confidence in his leadership of the SA, citing a number of issues including Zimbabwe, the SABC debacle and electricity. They want him removed now to avoid plunging the country into further crisis.

The SACP proposal was to have been discussed on Friday, but sources said the ANC was expected to oppose such a drastic move on the basis that it could create instability in the country and play into the hands of opposition parties.

This sentiment is, however, not stopping the ANC itself from launching its own purge from among the provincial ANC. Leaders close to Mbeki are fighting to save their political lives as crucial elective provincial conferences get under way. ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, however, dismissed suggestions that Mbeki supporters were being purged, saying robust contestation for positions was to be expected in some provinces. SACP general-secretary Blade Nzimande, speaking at the summit on Friday, questioned the need for a Public Enterprises Department, a key state department that has kept a grip on important state assets such as electricity giant Eskom, Trans-net, the national carrier South African Airways and also the SA arms manufacturer, Denel.

Battles in the SABC

Nzimande also questioned the combination of some departments such as Minerals with Energy as well as Agriculture with Land Affairs.

The fallout at the SABC is also a mirror of the battles going on in the ruling party ahead of elections. Many in the alliance want SABC head of news Snuki Zikalala, a supporter of Mbeki, ousted from the national public broadcaster.

Another controversial issue is the ANC resolution to transfer the Scorpions to the police.

State law advisers have already drafted legislation to move the crime-busting unit.

Nzimande, supported by Cosatu general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, said the squabbles over the SABC and NPA pointed to a lack of leadership on the part of President Mbeki.

- City Press