The public disagreement by ANC officials about President Jacob Zuma’s Cabinet reshuffle was a mistake and will not happen again, party secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said on Wednesday. Mantashe, ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa and treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize publicly voiced their disapproval over the lack of consultation on the reshuffle last week.
The rand fell by 1% and bonds weakened after Mantashe said the ANC would not be part of a movement to remove Zuma, despite a chorus of criticism by ANC-allied parties and unions, religious groups, civil society and the opposition.
Speaking after an extended meeting of the ANC’s national working committee (NWC), on Wednesday Mantashe said that the officials reported back to the NWC on a lengthy meeting it held on Tuesday. “That public dissonance was a mistake that will not happen again,” Mantashe said.
It was unprecedented for Mantashe, Ramaphosa and Mkhize to publicly criticise Zuma’s reshuffle — at the core of which was his failure to consult about it. The official word from the party came as insiders said Zuma backers had pushed in the meeting for the three to apologise over their criticism.
Mantashe said that ANC national officials had acknowledged there were shortcomings in their collective management of the reshuffle, and that the NWC was specifically briefed on the removal of finance minister Pravin Gordhan.
“The NWC has accepted the irretrievable breakdown of the relationship between the president and a member of his Cabinet as sufficient explanation for the decision taken by the president,” he told journalists at Luthuli House. “The issue of the intelligence report complicated the matter, creating a lot of unhappiness. This was consequently presented as the only reason for his removal which was unfortunate and incorrect”
Mantashe said the NWC recognised and reaffirmed a resolution taken at the ANC’s 52nd national conference that the president had to consult before making a decision to appoint or fire ministers.
However, Mantashe said the ANC had full confidence in newly appointed Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba and his new deputy Sfiso Buthelezi. “We will offer them our unequivocal support in executing the budget that was tabled by comrade Pravin Gordhan following approval by Cabinet and through consultations,” he said, adding that any other expenditure, including on nuclear power-generation, would only be done at a pace the country could afford.
SACP and Cosatu
The meeting also lashed out at the “serious breach of confidence” between the ANC and its alliance partners, the SACP and Cosatu. Mantashe said the meeting discussed the calls by both Cosatu and the SACP for Zuma to step down. He said that the party’s allies could have discussed the matter with the party behind closed doors. However, on Tuesday, Cosatu told journalists that it has been in discussions with the ANC over its unhappiness with the current state of affairs in the movement since November last year. The SACP has been holding bilateral meetings with the party in recent months.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.