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Quiet day at the office for Zuma
19/12/2007 21:20 - (SA)
Polokwane - ANC president Jacob Zuma maintained an enigmatic silence on his first day at the helm of the ruling party while his allies sought to dispel fears about the "machine gun man".
His predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, cheerfully cast his vote in the national executive committee elections at about 17:00, and mostly ignored questions by reporters.
An enquiry on how he felt about the election drew some response. "Alright thanks," Mbeki said.
ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama said afterwards Mbeki held talks with Zuma immediately after Tuesday night's emotionally charged party conference outside Polokwane in Limpopo.
After sweeping to victory against Mbeki, Zuma spent several hours meeting members of his new party executive and representatives of the tripartite alliance.
Wednesday saw conference delegates voting for the remaining 80 positions on the national executive committee, and going into commissions for policy discussions.
Zuma, who mostly appeared only during plenary sessions of the conference, came out of the voting station and entered a network lounge much to the delight of the occupants.
He was later mobbed by photographers and reporters, who later embarrassingly realised he was on his way to the loo.
When chased later, Zuma laughed at the attention but would not respond to reporters begging him to say how he felt.
People who joined him at the presidential suite of a network lounge, included his aide Ranjeni Munusamy, SA Communist party deputy secretary general Jeremy Cronin, and SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande.
Zuma could face renewed corruption charges after the first round were thrown out of court.
They centre on his relationship with businessman and struggle comrade Schabir Shaik, who was found guilty in 2005 of soliciting an arms company bribe for Zuma and jailed for an effective 15 years.
Mbeki sacked Zuma as deputy president soon after the Shaik verdict.
Later that year, Zuma was arrested on a rape charge, on which he was acquitted.
The ANC Youth League, which campaigned for Zuma, said it would discipline members seeking a "coup d'etat" against Mbeki as he serves out his term as president of the country.
"We are not anarchists," league president Fikile Mbalula told reporters. "Mbeki is the president of the country and his term will only expire in 2009. Those people who are suggesting a coup d'etat will have to be disciplined."
Congress of SA Trade Unions secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi called for the corruption investigation into Zuma to be dropped, saying the possible charges were "trumped up".
Vavi who coined the term "unstoppable tsunami" for Zuma, said Cosatu did not expect favours from him in return for their support.
"We are not a prisoner of the left," he said. "We are not going to say it's payback time."
Zuma had been put into a negative light and now it was time for people to see that he is not "this machine-gun-carrying man who is always singing".
The Democratic Alliance said National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete, who is now also ANC national chairwoman, should step down to avoid a conflict of interest.
New deputy president, Kgalema Motlanthe, speaking outside the presidential suite, said he would give his new position his "best shot".
Motlanthe said he was still to be inducted into his new position, while new treasurer general Mathews Phosa said he looked forward to the "enormous challenge".
Deputy secretary general Thandi Modise, asked how she felt about her new position, said: "Let's just say it's not like winning a beauty contest; it's a lot of responsibility."
- SAPA
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