Durban - ANC Veterans’ League president Snuki Zikalala has reiterated his call for former president Jacob Zuma to be removed from ANC activities, including election campaigning until he is cleared of corruption charges.
Zikalala spoke to the Independent Media before President Cyril Ramaphosa conducted a wreath-laying ceremony at the grave of first ANC president John Langalibalele Dube at the Ohlange Institute in Durban on Tuesday morning.
“The ANC Mangaung Resolution made it very clear that whoever is implicated in corrupt activities should not be the face of the ANC, and therefore the ANC must make sure that does not happen.
Zikalala said the ANC should implement its resolution on Zuma, who is facing arms deal-related charges at the Pietermaritzburg High Court. Zuma had already conducted a number of ANC election campaigns in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal, which is perceived to be his stronghold.
“The ANC leadership must sit down with him and say baba Nxamalala (Zuma) these are resolutions, can we agree on them.
“We, as the veterans, have previously said that he must be recalled, but of course we are still divided with those who are still sympathetic with him saying ‘no, no we cannot do that to we baba’, but we still feel that he must be recalled (from ANC activities),” he said.
Zikalala said the veterans’ league in Limpopo had made a similar call with councillors who were implicated in the VBS corruption scandal.
“It said those councillors who were looting poor people’s savings must step down until they are charged, and until they get acquitted they should not be the face of the ANC.
“It is the veterans’ league that sit in the Integrity Commission of the ANC that adopted that thing. It is the veterans’ league in Gauteng that sit in the Integrity Commission that said Qedani Mahlangu who was the health MEC must stand down from the PEC of the ANC,” said Zikalala.
As a former president, Zuma is a member of the veterans' league. Zikalala said during the league national executive committee meeting they would discuss the matter with Zuma.
Zuma's spokesperson Vukile Mathabela said only the ANC could respond to Zikalala because “these are the events of the ANC”.
ANC secretary in eThekwini Region Bheki Ntuli said since Zuma was not fired as the ANC president he was still a party’s legitimate leader “who is allowed by the party's Constitution to be the member of the national executive committee.
“Therefore he must be involved in the campaign. So far, wherever we go with him campaigning, he is helping the ANC quite a lot. There is nothing wrong with him campaigning,” said Ntuli.
Ntuli said Zikalala was being driven by his personal feeling against Zuma.
Zuma is expected to join Ramaphosa during the ANC 107th Anniversary cake-cutting ceremony to be conducted on Tuesday afternoon in Ohlange. He is also expected to attend the January 8 Statement Rally at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.