South African religious leaders on Friday called on the country’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) to compel President Jacob Zuma to resign following the Constitutional Court’s adverse finding against him on the Nkandla matter.
The call was made by the representatives of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) and the National Religious Leaders Council (NRLC) during a meeting with the ANC’s top officials on Friday.
SACC general secretary, Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana, said the faith-based community could not sit and do nothing when the country was imploding, and had to ask Zuma to think about the implications of his continued stay in the high office.
“We requested the ANC leadership to assist Zuma to resign. We also requested a one-on-one meeting with the president. We would like the president to think about his continued stay in the office,” Mpumlwana said during a media briefing in Johannesburg.
Zuma and deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa were not at the meeting as they were both performing their official duties. Religious leaders have now requested to meet Zuma next week.
Last week, the Constitutional Court delivered a damning ruling in which it declared Zuma had failed to “uphold, defend and respect the Constitution” when he did not adhere to the remedial actions called for by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela in relation to his private Nkandla residence in KwaZulu-Natal.
A day later, Zuma apologised to the nation on national television, stating that “any action not keeping with the Constitution happened with different legal advice”, and that it had happened in “good faith”.
On Tuesday, the SACC said it was “not prepared” to accept the apology offered by Zuma around the Nkandla debacle, calling for him to be recalled and requested to meet the ANC Top 6 officials.
On Friday the church leaders reiterated their belief that Zuma had not apologised.
“Zuma did not apologise for Nkandla. He only apologised for frustration and confusion. We cannot accept his apology because we are not confused,” said Methodist Church’s Bishop Ziphozihle Siwa.
Siwa said under Zuma’s leadership there was loss in confidence and added that Zuma was losing the moral integrity to lead.
ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa was not immediately available for comment.
Siwa said the churches were not in opposition to government but there would be critical engagement, not blanket support.
“This is a hurting and it’s a costly journey. We could sense and feel the pain from the ANC as well. Everybody is hurting. But the ANC was not able to respond directly or immediately to our pleas,” Siwa said.
The religious leaders emphasized that their focus was not a legal one but a moral call.
The SACC, made up of inter-denominational 36 member churches and organisations, said it would be up to individual churches whether to join the civil society march that was launched by activists earlier this week in Johannesburg.
“The civil society has a right to speak for themselves and make their own decisions. We would urge that no one engages in activities that would lead to loss of life, but put the country first,” Siwa said.
– African News Agency (ANA)
