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By Angela Quintal
President Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday night described 2005 as a "very sad year" for himself and many African National Congress supporters because of former deputy president Jacob Zuma's woes but again defended his axing of a man he has known for 30 years.
In a rare domestic interview, Mbeki told popular Metro FM host Given Mkhari that, while the ANC supported its deputy president during this difficult time, it should also support the woman who claims Zuma raped her.
Mbeki was speaking ahead of an emergency meeting of the party's national working committee after Zuma appeared in court on Tuesday on a charge of raping the 31-year-old daughter of a late comrade.
| Support the woman who claims Zuma raped her |
Zuma sidestepped calls for him to step down and instead announced he would "voluntarily suspend" himself from participating in leading structures of the ANC.
He made clear he would remain ANC deputy president and would carry on with "the general activities of the ANC as expected of all members of the organisation".
Mbeki described the past year in which he had to fire Zuma - who was later charged with corruption and on Tuesday with rape - as a "very sad year for me and I'm sure for many members and supporters of the ANC and people in general".
He said the "matters that have affected the deputy president of the ANC" - which were unprecedented in the 93-year history of the party, "have led to a lot of unhappiness on my part".
- This article was originally published on page 6 of Cape Times on December 07, 2005
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