‘There’s a war against the ANC,’ says corruption-accused Zandile Gumede

The African National Congress (ANC) is under attack and can only be saved by its branches, former eThekwini Mayor Zandile Gumede has said.

Gumede was addressing her supporters outside the Durban Commercial Crimes Court on Thursday, 10 September 2020, where the corruption case against her was postponed to 10 December.

“We are at war and it’s not a war against Zandile but the war is attacking the African National Congress,” she said.

“That’s why I’m saying the ANC members in Durban and other regions if they stand up, stand up against cases such as these ones, they will save the ANC.”

Zandile Gumede faces fierce corruption charges

Gumede and 16 others, including suspended city manager Sipho Nzuza face corruption charges involving a R430 million waste collection tender dating back to 2017. She was arrested in 2019 and subsequently granted R50 000 bail.

The former mayor and her supporters claim the charges are politically motivated and that she is under siege because she is a woman.

Gumede also lashed out the media for reporting that she had failed to get the matter struck off the court roll.

“To you media people who have already started reporting that I have failed to get the case struck off the roll, not all of them, hear me out very well, there are those who have already reported that Mama Zandile got her case off the court roll. That was early for them to start laughing. All the lawyers, including mine and those of Mondli (Mthembu, a co-accused) are in agreement that the matter is struck off the roll,” she said.

“May God keep us, may we survive from Covid-19 until the truth comes out so that even the next generation knows that if you work for the people’s party (the ANC) with honesty, capitalists will persecute you”

Mantashe: ‘Attacks on Ramaphosa must stop’

Gumede’s remarks come as ANC NEC member Gwede Mantashe has warned against attacks on the party’s president Cyril Ramaphosa, particularly in the form of open letters. Mantashe is likely to be referring to scathing letter Ramaphosa’s predecessor Jacob Zuma penned.

Mantashe spoke during a virtual lecture hosted by the ANC arah Baartman Region in the Eastern Cape. The theme of the engagement was organisational renewal.

 “There is a counter-revolution that is seeking to destroy the pillars of the ANC and that needs to stop,” he said.