Mbeki, Zuma reject Winnie plan

2007-12-13 11:17

Johannesburg - The two contenders in the battle to lead South Africa's ruling party have rejected a proposal by Nelson Mandela's former wife which would have seen Jacob Zuma drop his challenge to President Thabo Mbeki and in return avoid corruption charges, reports said Thursday.

In a letter to African National Congress secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe published in The Star newspaper, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela suggested that Mbeki remain in place as party president until 2009 when he must step down as head of state with the understanding that Zuma heads the ANC into a general election.

Madikizela-Mandela also proposed "that a solution shall in fact be found for the legal difficulties that confront the deputy president", in reference to a long-running corruption inquiry which could see charges filed against Zuma.

However the proposal, made ahead of Sunday's start of an ANC leadership conference, was rejected by both camps with Mbeki's campaign manager saying any attempt to influence a criminal investigation would be inappropriate.

"Once you start making arrangements over who is arrested or investigated, where do you stop? It would reflect badly on country once we start interfering with the criminal justice system," Mluleki George told the paper.

Zwelinzima Vavi, secretary general of the Cosatu labour movement which has been one of Zuma's strongest backers, also dismissed the proposal for going against the will of the party, a majority of whose provincial branches have already come out in support of Zuma.

"If you do (what Madikizela-Mandela proposed) it would be a travesty of justice when Zuma was backed through the democratic process," he said.

Zuma was sacked by Mbeki two years ago as deputy head of state after his financial advisor was jailed for fraud, although he kept his position as deputy ANC president.

He still faces the possibility of being charged with corruption in connection with the same investigation after recently losing a bid to have a series of search warrants declared illegal.

Madikizela-Mandela is a former president of the ANC's women's league and remains an iconic figure in the party for her role in the fight against the apartheid regime.

- AFP