news / national
Zanu-PF shakes Lindiwe Zulu
24 May 2011 at 05:14hrs | Views
Lindiwe Zulu, Jacob Zuma's international relations advisor, says she will not be drawn into a war of words with President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF party bigwigs because that will distract her from doing her job as a mediator.
Zulu is part of Zuma's facilitation team in the Zimbabwe crisis.
Zulu said she cannot comment on things that distract me from doing my work when she was interviewed by NewsDay.
Zanu PF formally lodged a complaint with South Africa's ruling ANC over Zulu's statements which they claimed were "reckless and inflammatory".
The statements were allegedly in regard to the succession law in Zimbabwe.
The complaint against Zulu stems from the publication in the ANC weekly newsletter, ANC Today, on May 13, that the facilitation team had said the negotiators to the GPA "are concerned about the succession law should (President) Mugabe die or retire before the adoption of a new constitution".
A Zanu PF official said Zulu was "playing a very cheap and dangerous game which can be played by any fool. What she says about our leaders, we can say about her with more credibility".
The officials added: "She is forgetting that she is a mere assistant to the facilitator. She is just an aide. We have more senior ANC members in the facilitation team like Cde Marc Maharaj, who are not acting recklessly like her.
"She wants to speak with a voice stronger than President Mugabe and stronger than President Zuma, who is the facilitator. There is even a tinge of personal advocacy in Zulu's activities and we are watching."
Sources yesterday said Zanu PF officials were unhappy with Zulu because they believe she has taken a hard line stance against President Mugabe.
She is said to be an agent used by Western countries to bring about change in Zimbabwe. Zanu-PF also wants to know Zulu's credentials as she is believed to be on some foreign office payroll.
Some analysts believe that it a Zanu-PF strategy to see Zulu removed because for someone to continue as a mediator, one has to keep the trust of the warring parties the two MDC formations and Zanu-PF.
Zulu is part of Zuma's facilitation team in the Zimbabwe crisis.
Zulu said she cannot comment on things that distract me from doing my work when she was interviewed by NewsDay.
Zanu PF formally lodged a complaint with South Africa's ruling ANC over Zulu's statements which they claimed were "reckless and inflammatory".
The statements were allegedly in regard to the succession law in Zimbabwe.
The complaint against Zulu stems from the publication in the ANC weekly newsletter, ANC Today, on May 13, that the facilitation team had said the negotiators to the GPA "are concerned about the succession law should (President) Mugabe die or retire before the adoption of a new constitution".
The officials added: "She is forgetting that she is a mere assistant to the facilitator. She is just an aide. We have more senior ANC members in the facilitation team like Cde Marc Maharaj, who are not acting recklessly like her.
"She wants to speak with a voice stronger than President Mugabe and stronger than President Zuma, who is the facilitator. There is even a tinge of personal advocacy in Zulu's activities and we are watching."
Sources yesterday said Zanu PF officials were unhappy with Zulu because they believe she has taken a hard line stance against President Mugabe.
She is said to be an agent used by Western countries to bring about change in Zimbabwe. Zanu-PF also wants to know Zulu's credentials as she is believed to be on some foreign office payroll.
Some analysts believe that it a Zanu-PF strategy to see Zulu removed because for someone to continue as a mediator, one has to keep the trust of the warring parties the two MDC formations and Zanu-PF.
Source - Byo24News
