Cape Town – Former National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete has refuted claims that she shielded former president Jacob Zuma during her tenure.
Mbete, who served as Speaker from 2014 to 2019, allowed MPs to vote in a secret ballot on a no-confidence motion against Zuma in 2017, a move she asserts was not intended to protect him.
In an interview with SABC News, Mbete clarified that her decision was based on a Constitutional Court ruling that Parliament should determine the voting method.
She expressed frustration at being labelled a Zuma ally despite her decision for an open ballot.
“When I took a decision at the point at which the Constitutional Court had said it is up to Parliament to decide whether the method of voting on a particular time, in a particular motion against the president whether it should be private or it should be open. And I said it should be open. People were surprised because I was supposedly this stooge of Jacob Zuma,” Mbete said.
She dismissed the claims that she protected Zuma, attributing these misconceptions to media portrayal.
“The media chose a particular line, stuck to it and confused everybody,” Mbete said.
She reiterated that she did not shield Zuma or corruption-accused ANC members, even allowing a secret ballot vote of no confidence against him.
“It is not true that I protected Jacob Zuma,” sMbete said.
Reflecting on the African National Congress’s (ANC) performance since 1994, Mbete admitted the party had faltered in cultural aspects but expressed optimism following recent elections.
“In our reflections… on what had gone not gone right,… we acknowledged to ourselves that the movements had not stayed on top of leading, being focused and guiding all the time in the area of arts, culture and heritage.
“Yes, there was a ministry in government… but the key moments of reflections that always happen in the ANC were taken away because for three decades there was no conference strategic discussions in the ANC, the leading party that was leading the government,” said Mbete.
She hoped the Government of National Unity will address these issues creatively and emphasized the need for broader engagement beyond internal party discussions.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
