Sunday Times. 14/1/2008. — 01/19/2008
NOW IS THE TIME FOR ANC TO DITCH MBEKI
Justice Malala
To wait is to invite unprecedented corruption

If the African National Congress is interested in the welfare of this country it should start taking steps to get rid of the corrupt regime of President Thabo Mbeki and his cronies immediately. To sit around for the next 18 months until Mbeki is forced to hold an election will see probably the worst incidence of abuse of power, unilateralism and looting we are ever likely to experience in our lifetimes. Mbeki has already started. In my view he is unlikely to stop. He has over the past four weeks displayed why he was so unequivocally booted out of the ANC presidency.

Mbeki’s absolute cynicism over SABC board and Selebi
Two days after he was bundled out of the presidency, Mbeki showed his absolute cynicism by appointing a discredited South African Broadcasting Corporation board to office despite the legitimate objections of civil society and the opposition and all his partners in the ANC-led tripartite alliance. Mbeki appointed the new board on a Friday evening (December 21, the day after the conclusion of the ANC conference) and ran off on holiday to avoid the flak that he knew would accompany this disgraceful act. He was not an honourable enough leader to explain himself to the ANC and to a nation that has had it up to here with the incorrigibly biased SABC. The bias of the six members of the old board (which bullied the broadcaster into being an Mbeki mouthpiece) aside, you will remember that [Minister in the Presidency] Essop Pahad lied to parliament about how he got Gloria Serobe onto the board. On Friday evening National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi finally asked Mbeki to put him on gardening leave. This should have happened a long time ago. It is now clear that Mbeki has been protecting this shallow, corrupt individual for years.
 
Mbeki lying through his teeth
On Saturday Mbeki made the extraordinary claim that he did not know of any wrongdoing by Selebi until 'a few days ago'. He is lying through his teeth. Mbeki suspended National Prosecutions Authority head Vusi Pikoli because he had secured a warrant for Selebi. Not only is Mbeki running an irredeemably corrupt government, he has now all but declared that the party that put him in power is irrelevant to him. Earlier this month he failed to pitch up at the ANC’s inaugural National Executive Committee meeting. His excuse? A worthless meet-and-greet with the Chinese foreign minister. A few days later he did not attend the ANC’s 96th anniversary celebrations, a mere 15km from his home.
 
New ANC leadership full of crooks and careerists
It is a pity that the new ANC leadership is full of so many crooks and careerists and is led by a man who has so many questions hanging over him. A more morally sensitive and business-like body would recall Mbeki and then seek a mandate from the public by holding a general election. The Constitution allows it. After careful research, my colleague Brendan Boyle pointed out the following options open to the new ANC leadership:
  Clause 89 of the Constitution provides for the removal from office of a president by a vote of at least two-thirds of the 400 National Assembly members. It is in effect an impeachment clause. He or she could be removed for a serious breach of the Constitution or law; serious misconduct; or for inability to perform the functions of office.
  Clause 50 allows a simple majority of MPs - 201 - to require the President to dissolve Parliament and call an election.
  Clause 102 (2) gives a simple majority of MPs th    e unconditional right to pass a motion of no confidence in the President, upon which he and his entire cabinet must immediately resign.
 
The ANC holds 297 of the 400 National Assembly seats. They should use this majority to give Mbeki the boot immediately. The people would then have the opportunity to either give the new, Jacob Zuma-led ANC a mandate to rule or choose a different party to lead South Africa.