Tutu hates me, says Zuma

April 7th, 2009

 

Johannesburg (South Africa) - Jacob Zuma is no longer prepared to meet Desmond Tutu because he believes the clergyman hates him.

Speaking to The Star through his spokesperson Zizi Kodwa on Sunday, the ANC leader said he believed Tutu was part of "a lynch mob" driving a smear campaign on behalf of former president Thabo Mbeki.

Zuma's hardline stance against Tutu was triggered by the cleric's comment that he was not looking forward to a Zuma presidency after the elections in just over two weeks' time. Kodwa said on Sunday that Tutu was taking a partisan stance and taking sides in the ANC's power struggle.

"JZ is not prepared to meet with Tutu because he holds political views. His outburst has nothing to do with the fact that elections are coming.

"Before (the ANC national conference in 2007 in) Polokwane, Tutu was one of the lynch mob mobilised not only to question JZ, but to pronounce preference on the internal process of the ANC on who can stand (as president), against the wishes of the majority of the ANC. The majority of the ANC pronounced (Zuma as the president), but Tutu still went against that, based on morality, saying JZ was not prepared to lead," Kodwa said.

He said Mbeki had played a role in the campaign to discredit Zuma.

"This is the work done by Mbeki to mobilise opinion-makers to condemn JZ and find him guilty. The question is how many groups and individuals Mbeki met," said Kodwa.

Mbeki's spokesperson, Mukoni Ratshitanga, could not be reached for comment.

Kodwa said the political campaign was the reason why Tutu, "as a man of God", was not prepared to forgive Zuma.

"Assuming JZ has done anything wrong, a man of God will forgive JZ. But his (Tutu's) hatred is unforgivable because it is a political view that JZ cannot be a leader but someone else can...I'm sure God would have accepted JZ as a sinner if he is a sinner," Kodwa added.

He said Tutu had the right to express his choice, but "that should not be imposed on others".

"We don't need Tutu to clear JZ's name, because Zuma has done nothing wrong," said Kodwa.

Tutu was harshly criticised by ANC-aligned structures last week for making comments about Zuma's impending presidency of the country.

"In the year of Barack Obama, can you imagine what it is like when you are walking in New York and they ask you who will be the next president? At the present time, I can't pretend to be looking forward to having him as my president," said Tutu, who was speaking at a book launch at the Durban City Hall.

He added he hoped the National Prosecuting Authority would decide to continue with Zuma's fraud and corruption prosecution.

"For his own sake, I hope they are not going to have a political solution. If he is innocent, as he has claimed to be, for goodness' sake, let it be a court of law that says so," said Tutu.

Last year, Tutu called for Zuma to step aside as a presidential candidate. The cleric also declared he would not vote because of the ANC's "misbehaviour" after the firing of Mbeki. But Zuma said then that he was prepared to meet Tutu.

"The ANC is available for an audience with Archbishop Tutu. We have taken a decision to engage with him to clarify any issues he would want to be dealt with," Zuma said in October last year.

But Tutu told SABC radio last week that he was still waiting for the meeting. Tutu could not be reached for comment on Sunday.

source.The Star (South Africa)