ANC must support Zille's call on Zuma

Khampepe, Ginwala, Niehaus, corruption charges, two centres of powers, kill for Zuma, formation of Cope, recall of Mbeki, Nicholson, Hlope — a never-ending list of reasons why the ANC and not the Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille should have called for ANC president Jacob Zuma to withdraw his presidential candidacy.

Each case, incident, investigation represents the direct or indirect result of this ongoing refusal — by those who would see a Zuma presidency — to accept the impact that it’s having on the country and the party. In essence it has torn the party in two and investigations into several senior party members have totally discredited its approach on crime and corruption, forced the party to recall its president and undermined the criminal justice system and the judiciary.

It has also made total nonsense of the notion that the ANC acts as a collective which has the interests of the party and country at heart with this seemingly unstoppable attempt to promote an individual at the expense of the well-being of the party. Indeed we have to ask ourselves what damage to the ANC would the party consider to be severe enough to finally call time on this insanity.

If regard is had to the fall-out listed above it would have to be something bordering on Armageddon.

Zuma is innocent until proven guilty, is, and must remain the call. He must be treated as any innocent man until a court advises otherwise and be allowed to pursue his defence as vigorously as any other citizen.

That does not mean the country must lose the Scorpions, Pikoli, result in a split in the party, see a president recalled, be threatened by the ANCYL, put forward a candidate for president facing corruption charges, have judges at each others throats and all the other nonsense that is ongoing in an attempt to ensure Zuma becomes president.

Treated as innocent means the normal legal channels are followed as opposed to what is going on now — anything in the way of the Zuma presidency gets discredited or imploded.

Patricia de Lille was right when she said the arms deal would occasion enormous damage until it is dealt with and Zille is correct when she says a Zuma presidency is untenable until the charges have been dealt with.

The only ones who cannot or will not see this are the ANC and, if regard is had to the damage caused so far, then — other than the country — they are by far the biggest losers in allowing this to continue.