MBETE CONFIRMS HOW MANY ANC MPs FEEL ABOUT ZUMA

April 14 2015

Congress of the People is not surprised about the revelations by the National Chairperson of the ANC over the week-end in Limpopo that there are some ANC Members of Parliament who were plotting to remove the President of the ANC before his term expires (see report).

We have been trying for some time to get ANC MPs to support our motion of no confidence in the President. Many ANC MPs, we know, feel as we do. They readily accept that the President is failing to provide ethical and dynamic leadership. If they were free to act on their conscience they would have voted with us.

Ms Mbete’s revelation vindicates what we have been saying about the crisis of leadership under President Zuma. Chaos and collapse describe how things in our country are going.

Many of us predicted this sorry state of affairs and that is why we broke away to form COPE. Others broke away to form the EFF. Now, COSATU is fracturing at the seams and the alliance is ailing.

For many ANC MPs the President’s many transgressions and moral lapses are causing them acute embarrassment. How can they defend the landing of the Gupta plane at Waterkloof, or the over- the-top splurge on the Nkandla upgrade or the intention to spend a massive R 2 billion on new VIP jets?

What was clear to all of us for a long time, is now becoming equally clear to many ANC MPs - President Zuma is a liability not only to the ANC; but to the country as well.

Cope calls upon President Zuma to recognise that it would be in the best interest of his party and the country for him to resign. His continuation in office will inflict irreparable harm on society and the country.

Statement issued by Dennis Bloem, COPE spokesman, April 14 2015