The ANC Women’s League has jumped to the defence of ANC presidential hopeful, Dr Nkosazana Dlamin-Zuma amid a Sunday Times report that her election campaign was being funded by a dodgy benefactor.
According to the report, Dlamini-Zuma’s campaign received contributions from cigarette manufacturer, Adriano Mazzotti, who in 2014, reportedly admitted that his company, Carnilinx, was complicit in fraud, money laundering and tax evasion.
Details of the alleged association are contained in a book published on Sunday by investigative journalist, Jacque Pauw, titled President’s Keepers.
However, in a statement this weekend, the ANC Women’s League said “it was not shocked at what it said was the desperate attempt by the Sunday Times to discredit Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma through a staged smear campaign driven by White Monopoly Capital.”
“We remain confident that this smear campaign will neither stick nor succeed,” the ANCWL said.
“It has become clear to us that this sustained negative campaign is designed to cast aspersions and discredit our preferred candidate for the ANC Presidency. We wish to categorically state that Dr. Dlamini-Zuma has had no clandestine and dodgy relations with anybody throughout her political career,” the ANCWL statement said.
“Dr. Dlamini-Zuma has nothing to hide. Her discipline and dedication to Radical Economic Transformation has, therefore, attracted millions of well-wishers who have volunteered their time, resources and energy to making sure that she becomes victorious in December.”
The ANCWL said Dr. Dlamini-Zuma has limited knowledge on all the contributors to the campaign, which are coordinated by the ANCWL with the support of the ANC Military Veterans and the ANC Youth League as well as the structures of the African National Congress.
“Our efforts are people oriented. Our campaign is, therefore, a people’s campaign. Finally, we wish to warn Sunday Times and other counter revolutionary media houses to keep their hands-off Dr. Dlamini Zuma,” the ANC Women’s League said.
