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Deputy President recuperating well from a chest ailment: Duarte

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ANC deputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte has assured South Africans that Deputy President David Mabuza has recuperated well from a chest ailment – after cancelling a parliamentary question and answer session.

Duarte says she doesn’t think he had COVID-19. Mabuza will finally appear before the National Council of Provinces next week Thursday. He had been expected to answer questions from MPs last Thursday.

Duarte was speaking to SABC reporter Samkele Maseko in Johannesburg on Tuesday:

Maseko: South Africans are looking for the Deputy President of the country Mabuza, where is he?

Duarte: He’s been ill. He’s well now he attended the NWC meeting yesterday. He looks very well. He is up and about. You know COVID has no respect for who it attacks and how it attacks people. The deputy president is fine. He’s back on his legs. He came looking extremely well yesterday.

Maseko: Did he have COVID-19?

Duarte: I don’t think so. He has a chest ailment that’s been going on for some time, but he’s fine. The ANC’s National Working Committee met yesterday.”

Samkele Maseko speaks to ANC’s Jessie Duarte:

Zandile Gumede to top agenda of ANC NEC meeting

Meanwhile, the embattled former eThekwini Mayor Zandile Gumede will top the Special African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee agenda this weekend.

The party’s National Working Committee is not pleased with the ANC in KwaZulu Natal’s decision to deploy Gumede to the legislature.

Duarte says the Special NEC will focus on corruption allegations bedeviling the ANC. The ANC’s National Working Committee has summoned KwaZulu-Natal provincial officials to explain the decision to deploy Gumede to the legislature whilst corruption allegations hanging over her head.

The party’s Deputy Secretary-General says the NEC will have to make a final decision this weekend on whether Gumede must be removed or not.

“The NEC will discuss it very thoroughly and whatever the outcome is we hope that people will live with that outcome and it might not be a good outcome or it might be a bad outcome but it will be very balanced.”

KwaZulu-Natal officials failed to convince the party’s National Working Committee on Gumede’s promotion. Now the provincial leadership has to defend its decision with a presentation to the Special NEC.

“We haven’t understood it quite well, but what we are asking is that they come and explain themselves to the NEC. So, that will happen, they will come and explain themselves to the NEC. We must say this, when comrade Zandile was left in the city, there wasn’t much noise made about it publically which was also quite worrisome, but now that she is taken to the province there is a lot of noise.”

Corruption has become synonymous with the ANC. Now the party finds itself yet again having to discuss the political future of one of its leaders, Zandile Gumede. However many ANC leaders face allegations of corruption whilst some adhere to conference resolutions of stepping aside and others refuse.

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