Gauteng ANC asks Zuma to ‘do the right thing’

The ANC's Gauteng provincial leadership said while it accepted President Zuma's apology over the Nkandla debacle, it was time Zuma resigned.

Johannesburg - The leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng said while it accepted President Jacob Zuma's apology over the Constitutional Court judgement on Nkandla, it was time Zuma resigned.

The provincial executive committee (PEC) said it held a special meeting on Monday to deliberate on the recent court judgement that found that Zuma and the National Assembly failed to protect and uphold the constitution by ignoring Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's remedial actions on Zuma's private home in Nkandla.

“The PEC noted and accepted the public apology of President Jacob Zuma. However, the PEC believes that the apology is just the beginning of dealing with the political damage and mistrust caused by the mismanagement of the Nkandla matter,” the organisation said.

“The PEC reiterated that the ANC has earned its leadership of society through the struggles and sacrifices of its members and supporters over generations. It is in that context that our President comrade Jacob Zuma should reflect deeply and do the right thing to resolve the unprecedented crisis that the ANC currently faces.The ANC has never taken the support of our people for granted and was founded to defend and advance the rights of our people.”

The provincial body, led by its chairman and Human Settlements MEC Paul Mashatile, said it believed that the ANC “has already paid a price during the 2014 elections”, due to among others, the anger of the electorate about the drawn out Nkandla matter.

“As the ANC, we have to do a deeper introspection and take far-reaching decisions that will repair the damage to our image and to continue to enjoy the confidence and trust of our people.”

The latest move came after branches in the province condemned Zuma and called for him to step down.

Mashatile and his deputy, premier David Makhura, have been publicly vocal in criticising the manner in which Zuma handled the debacle around the massive public overspending at his private Nkandla residence.

African News Agency

* Use IOL’s Facebook and Twitter pages to comment on our stories. See links below.