Cabinet ministers stay on

2008-09-22 10:37

Evan Pickworth

Johannesburg - One of the biggest concerns for financial market stability in SA is that Finance Minister Trevor Manuel may be replaced, but secretary-general of the ANC, Gwede Mantashe, said on national television on Sunday that the organisation had appealed to all Cabinet ministers to remain and not one had resigned.

He said the ANC was aware of the potential for disruption and had therefore asked the ministers to remain in place to avoid this.

"There was not a single resignation yesterday (Saturday) from the ministers," he said. "We are looking to instil confidence and certainty," he emphasised.

Mantashe said the decision to ask Mbeki to leave was a political one as the implications of the legal process [Judge Nicholson's favourable Zuma judgment, which implied abuse of the prosecuting authority by Mbeki] was "tearing the ANC apart".

"The arms deal is much bigger than the case against Zuma," he added.

However, he said there would be no move to seek redress against Mbeki from within the party and that instead, they respected him as a leader and for the economic achievements made under his rule.

"There has been no decision to take Mbeki for any discipline," he said.

"The way we relate to one another does not create an environment for that," he pointed out.

"Mbeki commands a lot of respect within the ANC," said Mantashe.

Mantashe said that society wanted certainty and confidence to move forward and indicated that the decision to oust Mbeki was made in this spirit.

He said a divided ANC would not be good for the stability of the country and created a "negative vibe".

"An individual is not more important than the Movement," he concluded.

- I-Net Bridge (News24)