Senior ANC leaders reportedly want Zuma to apologise for insulting veterans

Following President Jacob Zuma’s scathing criticism of the ANC’s struggle stalwarts and veterans on Friday, senior leaders in the ruling party reportedly want him to be ordered to apologise for insulting the group.

ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu and MP Mondli Gungubele during a discussion on policy documents proposed that Zuma be asked to apologise to the more than 100 party veterans he referred to as “so-called veterans” during his opening address of the ANC’s 5^th national policy conference in Johannesburg, The Sowetan reported on Monday.

Mthembu and Gungubele apparently argued their commission should recommend the resolution to the closing plenary on Wednesday for Zuma to apologise to the group for saying some of them were “not as strong as they project themselves”.

Sources the paper spoke to said there was general unhappiness among delegates who felt Zuma should not have deviated from his prepared speech to attack the veterans.

Both Mthembu and Gungubele were unavailable for comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, ANC Gauteng chairperson Paul Mashatile has also expressed his distaste over Zuma’s statements, saying the party could not afford to undermine the role of the veterans and stalwarts in the organisation.

Speaking to The Star on the sidelines of the policy conference at Nasrec, south of Johannesburg, Mashatile called for unity and for the ANC’s leadership to engage with the veterans to bridge the divide between them.

“My view is that the leadership of the ANC must continue to engage with the veterans. I don’t think we should tire, I don’t think we should fight in the public space and in newspapers,” Mashatile said.

“I think, beyond this conference, the president and the NEC [national executive committee] must call the veterans and meet with them and find solutions – we need them.”

In a statement released on Sunday, the ANC stalwarts and veterans hit back at Zuma, saying he attacked them based on “false information” and said they found his comments to be perplexing, as they were “bizarre and dishonest”.

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