They're no angels, says ANC
Staff Reporters
February 15 2010 at 01:30PM
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Revelations that COPE leader Mosiuoa Lekota fathered a child out of wedlock and
allegations of an extra-marital affair by the DA's Lennit Max have exposed the
hypocrisy of opposition parties calling on President Jacob Zuma to resign over
his sexual activities, says the ANC.
"The whole thing shows that there are no angels on earth, no angels at all,"
said ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa.
"It shows that these parties do not take up issues that really matter; they
take up an issue that presents them with opportunistic political mileage," said
Kodwa.
On Sunday COPE said it would not change its position on asking Zuma to step
down, despite revelations that Lekota too had a love child.
"It's about protecting the highest office, not about an illegitimate child,"
said COPE spokesman Phillip Dexter.
"COPE has not changed its position. We feel the time has come for (Zuma) to
step down," said Dexter.
Lekota fathered a five-year-old child with former Cape Nature deputy chairwoman
Yasmina Pandy.
However, he has slammed Zuma for being "a very poor role model" and behaving
irresponsibly in a country with a high prevalence of HIV/Aids by sleeping with
women other than his wives without a condom.
"His continued use of African custom as a smokescreen is also no longer
acceptable," Lekota said last month.
COPE chief whip Mbhazima Shilowa, who himself has two sons outside his marriage
and failed to pay maintenance for them until taken to court, said COPE intended
bringing a motion of no confidence in Zuma on Thursday.
Last year it emerged that COPE parliamentary leader Mvume Dandala had an
unplanned child before he got married - and he has readily admitted it.
The PAC has also called for Zuma to step down. Secretary general Mfanelo
Skwatsha said Zuma's "misdemeanors have caused a great deal of embarrassment to
the country and in the eyes of the international community".
The PAC would ask the ANC to recall Zuma to "save this country from further
embarrassment".
"The PAC has noted with grave concern that in the past 10 years or so, this
country has moved from being a miracle country to an international joke. This
trend started with our stance on HIV/Aids, to the current misdemeanors," said
Skwatsha.
But Kodwa pointed out that liberation movements never had rules on the private
behaviour of members.
"There is a fine line between what is private and what is public and certain
matters are private," he said.
"Certain people broke away from the ANC on the basis of morality and then they
found they could not come up to the standards they had set and they had to hire
a priest to lead them in the elections.
"Their standards were too high for anybody who lives on earth. There are no
angels here," he said.
Meanwhile, Max said he would await findings of a police investigation into the
extortion charges he laid against a former police clerk who accused him of an
extramarital affair, before deciding on his next step.
>From : Hulisani Mmbara
Call : 082 593 3012
Fax : 086 690 1176
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