Publication: Cape Argus
Issued:
Date: 2009-10-25
Reporter:
Former president Thabo Mbeki says he was hurt and could still not figure out
why Judge Chris Nicholson implicated him in plotting against President Jacob
Zuma.
Speaking for the first time about circumstances around his controversial recall
from the government over a year ago, Mbeki exclusively told The Sunday
Independent how he was angered and hurt by claims made by Nicholson - claims
which were later rejected by the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Nicholson had implicated Mbeki and his cabinet in a conspiracy to thwart Zuma's
attempts to become president of the ANC and later of the country.
"It made us very angry," Mbeki said. The former president has mentioned the
political management of the process of his recall in court documents, but never
about how he personally felt about the recall.
He told The Sunday Independent that Nicholson's judgment hurt him and made him
feel bad. "Why would any judge want to do that? I don't know - I don't think he
will ever explain himself because judges don't explain themselves. I mean that
was bad."
Banging a sidetable, a visibly irritated Mbeki added: "We said it was not
sufficient merely to release a press statement (repudiating comments by
Nicholson) because this judge must produce the facts which led him to this
conclusion. And we couldn't understand why a judge would sit on a Bench and go
out of his way to say this."
Mbeki explained his understanding of the meaning of Nicholson's judgment. He
felt that Nicholson "really sought to impugn our integrity", and presented Mbeki
and his cabinet as "dishonest people" who "for whatever reason want to intervene
in ways that are illegal and unconstitutional".
He said he, like his cabinet colleagues, took the oath of office seriously and
the oath was, for him, not just a formality. "For somebody to pop up from
somewhere with absolutely no basis ... to come to a conclusion that these are
bad people, dishonest people, acted in violation of their oath, this and that
and the other; that was bad," he said.
At the time Nicholson took the decision, Mbeki had just been defeated at the
Polokwane ANC conference by Zuma, whose faction in the ANC felt that Msholozi
was a victim of political machinations.
Many rejoiced at Nicholson's decision and, about four weeks later, the ANC
national executive committee took a decision to recall Mbeki.
ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told reporters at a press conference after
the decision was taken that the Nicholson judgment played a major role in the
discussion that led to the recall.
Mbeki sought not to blame the ANC for having recalled him using a flawed
premise: "That was a decision not made by the ANC but by Judge Nicholson and the
ANC acted on it. But it's okay, that's the past".
Next week, we publish the full interview with Mbeki on COPE, the campaign ahead
of Polokwane, challenges of our time, and his retirement, among other things.
Related Articles
With acknowledgements to
Cape Argus.
Some scallywags say it is the exception that
makes the rule.
Other scallywags say that two wrongs make a right.
This situation is one of the few where they are correct.