Former ANC cabinet minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini- Zuma says she will oppose court action brought against her by ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula over remarks she made about the influence of money in the party’s internal electoral processes.
Dlamini- Zuma said she was served with court papers by Mbalula on August 21 following comments she made during an interview on the African Renaissance Podcast with former EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.
She said her legal representatives filed a notice of intention to oppose the application on August 25.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Dlamini- Zuma said she stood by her remarks and the substance of the arguments she had raised.
She said she would, however, refrain from debating the merits of the case publicly out of respect for the court, saying the issues would now be ventilated through legal proceedings.
Dlamini-Zuma said the ANC’s commitment to organisational renewal required the party to confront the problems affecting it, particularly the role of money in its internal processes.
“The influence of money in ANC elective conferences is common cause and has been spoken about openly by senior leaders and structures of the movement,” she said.
She argued that the ANC’s character was at risk when financial considerations began influencing delegates and leadership contests became commercialised.
“When money becomes more powerful than political conviction, when delegates can be influenced by financial considerations rather than the political programme of the movement, and when leadership contests become commercialised, the very character of the ANC is placed at risk,” she said.
Dlamini-Zuma said she would continue to raise concerns about the use of money within the governing party.
She said her long-standing commitment to the ANC and its unity was the reason she believed its problems needed to be confronted openly.
“I have devoted my life to the struggle and the African National Congress and remain committed to its unity and renewal,” she said.
Dlamini-Zuma said the court case would follow its legal course but argued that the broader political and organisational questions raised by the dispute could not be resolved through litigation.
“The political and organisational question at the heart of this matter remains before the ANC and cannot be resolved through litigation,” she said.
She warned that the ANC needed to confront the issue, describing it as a threat to the survival of the movement.
“Our movement must find the courage to confront this problem as it is killing the ANC,” she said.
Dlamini-Zuma has also apologised to Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola over the same claims she made against him.
