Bay battle for ANC’s top seats

POLITICAL ambitions, business interests and the future of the ANC in Nelson Mandela Bay will take centre stage today as the party votes for the councillor candidates who, it hopes, will help it retain control of its most contested metro.

Today’s regional list conference follows months of secret lobbying and sponsored campaigns by leaders vying to occupy top seats in the council after the August municipal elections.

The party’s branch leaders and alliance partners will gather at the Port Elizabeth City Hall to sift through scores of names nominated for its proportional representation list.

It is also from this list that nominations for a mayoral candidate will emerge – a decision which will ultimately be made by the national leadership.

Some insiders said mayor Danny Jordaan topped the lists from the majority of branches.

This is because supporters believe not only is he the ANC’s best chance at winning the election, they also want leadership continuity in the municipality.

Others, however, believe Jordaan is overrated and would prefer ANC MPL Tony Duba at the helm. A Jordaan supporter said those who rejected him did so because he stood in the way of their business interests with the municipality.

This week, a third list emerged, with former regional chairman Mike Xego at number one, followed by former mayor Nceba Faku at number two.

But Faku has distanced himself from Xego’s list, saying not only was he fully behind Jordaan, he was not interested in being deployed to government.

“I am surprised. I have said several times to people that I am not interested.

“It’s a no-no for me because one of the conditions of being a public representative is that you do not do business and trade with government. And that for me would [be] a serious restriction.”

Faku is a director of Amat, a company contracted to curb illegal electricity connections in the metro.

“I think at a regional level I have served the community. I had my mistakes,” he said.

“Many people queue to be deployed for various reasons, other than just to earn an income, because they feel that they are not utilised. I am very clear about that. I have no interest. Let me struggle in business because I think so far I am OK in this space, with all its challenges.

“People don’t understand that you don’t have to be deployed in government, neither do you have to be deployed in a political structure to make a contribution to the progress of our country,” Faku said.

About Jordaan, Faku said: “I am happy with him to continue. I think he is doing a good job. He is not a perfect person but I think under the circumstances he has got my support.”

Meanwhile, pushing his list, Xego said: “We need sober minds in that conference to deal with the challenges facing the ANC right now, not yesterday.

“This is not about a mayor at all. Our role is to elect individual potential councillors. Out of that process will emerge a credible, democratically elected mayor.”

Themba Mangqase, who compiled Xego’s list, said: “We are proposing people we think can bring some element of stability and unity in the region.”

Mangqase said their list was a product of meetings held at the ANC’s regional office at Florence Matomela House.

He could not say which branches were involved in the process.

It is also understood that Jordaan has the support of some in Luthuli House, much to the annoyance of some members in the province and the metro.

While she would not confirm this, ANC national executive member and ANC election head Nomvula Mokonyane said the leadership would look at who WHILE President Jacob Zuma’s political opponents yesterday celebrated the “spy tapes” judgment, the ANC said the high court ruling did not deal with the merits of the allegations against the president.

Nor had the court made any finding declaring guilt on any matter against Zuma‚ ANC national spokesman Zizi Kodwa said.

“Today’s [yesterday’s] judgment was solely a judicial review of an administrative action taken by the NPA, as allowed for in our law,” Kodwa said.

“We trust that it shall therefore not be used by any in our society to infer any culpability in any crime or offence by the president.”

The full bench of the Pretoria High Court yesterday set aside a decision to discontinue the prosecution of Zuma that was taken in April 2009.

The court held that the decision of April 1 2009‚ taken by then acting national director of public prosecutions Mokotedi Mpshe to drop 783 charges against Zuma related to the arms deal was irrational and should be reviewed and set aside.

Mpshe had dropped the charges after listening to conversations which purportedly showed there was an abuse of process in the timing of serving an indictment to Zuma.

DA leader Mmusi Maimane called yesterday’s ruling a “great victory for the rule of law”.

“Ultimately we believe Jacob Zuma must face prosecution,” Maimane said in court after judgment was passed.

COPE president Mosiuoa Lekota said in a statement the party was delighted that “attempts by various role players to bury the nearly 800 charges against Zuma have not succeeded”.

The party also called on National Prosecuting Authority head Shaun Abrahams to now “take the matter forward”.

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa said it hoped the high court ruling would lead to the truth behind the arms deal being exposed.

The recent Seriti Commission report “was a mere window-dressing exercise”‚ Numsa said.

Barring an appeal by Zuma or the NPA‚ it is up to Abrahams to decide on whether to reinstate the 783 charges of fraud‚ corruption and racketeering against Zuma.

The Supreme Court of Appeal said in a judgment in 2014 it was not appropriate for the court to tell the NPA what to do‚ as this would be inappropriate transgression of the separation of powers doctrine.

In that case‚ the SCA was dealing with a matter where the Pretoria High Court had set aside the National Director of Public Prosecution’s (NDPP) decision to drop charges against suspended police crime intelligence head Richard Mdluli.

The high court had ordered the NDPP to reinstate all the charges against Mdluli and also to ensure that the prosecution of these charges was enrolled and pursued without delay.

The SCA said it agreed with the contention by the NDPP that the orders of the high court breached the doctrine of separation of powers.

“That doctrine precludes the courts from impermissibly assuming the functions that fall within the domain of the executive‚” Judge of Appeal Fritz Brand said. – Additional reporting by AFP