Ministers resign in solidarity with Mbeki

SOUTH AFRICA:MORE THAN one third of South Africa's cabinet resigned from government yesterday in solidarity with Thabo Mbeki, who was forced to stand down as the country's president last weekend by the ruling African National Congress party.

Eleven ministers and three deputy ministers handed in their notice from a total of 28 ministries. The resignations will be effective from tomorrow when Mr Mbeki leaves the presidency and is replaced by ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe, subject to a parliamentary vote.

Among those to resign were the highly regarded finance minister Trevor Manuel whose decision caused local stock markets to tumble and saw the rand fall from 7.98 to 8.16 to the US dollar.

The market's volatility was calmed later in the day when the finance minister indicated he was willing to serve under the country's new president in any capacity, but was "duty bound" to stand down at this point because he had been appointed by Mr Mbeki.

Mr Manuel said the ANC leaders had asked him to remain. "I had discussions with the ANC president Jacob Zuma on Saturday. I told him that I had given the president [Mbeki] the letter [of resignation].. He [Zuma] asked me to stay on."

Also resigning, but without commitments to accept reinstatement, were the deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and defence and intelligence ministers Mosiuoa Lekota and Ronnie Kasrils respectively.

The resignations are seen as a significant blow to ANC president Jacob Zuma, who sought to ensure Mr Mbeki's cabinet remained intact for the remainder of its term.

The ruling party denied there was a crisis saying, "things will be going on as normal", and the vacant positions "will be filled with ease".

Opposition Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille said the resignation of ministers loyal to Mr Mbeki showed deep dissatisfaction with the ANC's decision to "recall" the president before his term ends in seven months' time: "It is clear that behind the display of unity, that there is deep dissatisfaction with the ANC NEC's [National Executive Committee] decision to recall the president," she said.

Mr Mbeki was forced to resign by the ANC after a high court ruling suggested he was a guiding hand behind the national prosecuting authority's decision to charge Mr Zuma days after he became ANC president.

The ANC has said it asked for Mr Mbeki's resignation in an effort to heal divisions in the party, apparently split into Mbeki and Zuma factions, ahead of the general election next March.

However, there are many who believe Mr Mbeki's recall is an act of revenge by Mr Zuma and his ANC supporters, who believe Mr Mbeki is trying to stop their leader from taking the presidency, which he is favourite to do next year.

Meanwhile, Mr Mbeki has come out fighting to clear his name less than day after agreeing to resign. On Monday he lodged a request in the country's highest court asking it for leave to appeal aspects of the high court ruling that cost him his job.

Mr Mbeki filed papers in the constitutional court in a personal capacity and as head of the government and has said if high court judge Chris Nicholson's findings were left unchallenged it would violate his constitutional rights.

In his recent ruling, the judge found the executive - and by extension Mr Mbeki - might have interfered in the national prosecuting authority's (NPA) decision to prosecute Mr Zuma.

"I am . . . not convinced that the applicant [Mr Zuma] was incorrect in averring political meddling in his prosecution," the judge noted in finding the prosecution of Mr Zuma invalid on a procedural technicality.

The NPA has decided to appeal the ruling to the supreme court.

Essentially, Mr Mbeki and his cabinet want the comments made by Mr Justice Nicholson removed from the judgment, which is a public record.

The judgment was seen by Mr Zuma's supporters as vindication of their claims the charges of corruption, fraud and racketeering he faced were the result of a political conspiracy against him.