For a while, he served on the executive committee of the Miners International Federation. He was responsible for ensuring that the ANC implemented and carried out its policies and programmes.
He was and is committed to the notion that strict accountability by ANC officials must be followed. There is a widely held viewpoint from colleagues and those close to him that Mbeki seriously undermined him for years, although Motlanthe denies it. In response to criticisms over his performance as SG of the ANC from to , Motlanthe adheres to the principle that his main responsibility was to maintain the unity of the organisation. From to he continued to work hard to keep the ANC united, at the same time he was instrumental in attempting to establishing a political school and policy institute to educate leaders.
To date there has been no success in this direction. The newspaper reported that Sandile Majali now deceased arranged for R15 million from Petro SA to be paid to his company, Imvume Management for oil condensate. He has strenuously denied that he ever promised to pay surcharges [a euphemism for bribery fees] or requested same to be paid.
Motlanthe has denied being present at any meeting with Majali in Iraq or that he agreed to pay Majali in kickbacks in any form. Zuma, however, refused to resign. Following this, Mbeki relieved Zuma of his position as the Deputy President of the country. On 12 September , Judge Chris Nicholson found that the charges against Zuma were illegal and invalid this was later overturned.
This led to the charges being dropped against Zuma a few months before the elections. Motlanthe and Gwede Mantashe were tasked to inform Mbeki of this decision. Mbeki tended his resignation the following day, on 21 September His approach to choose members to the DC was in favour of a merit driven one, which revealed opposition to his approach to this sensitive issue of deployment.
Motlanthe has had to deal with controversies, which undoubtedly embarrassed him. The media widely published a story that claimed that he had an affair with a year-old woman. The journalist who broke the scandal about the alleged affair later admitted that it was untrue.
During his brief tenure, Motlanthe had to deal with the Vusi Pikoli matter. Just prior to this Pikoli obtained an arrest warrant for the Commissioner of Police and head of Interpol, Jackie Selebi.
The media speculated that Mbeki tried to shield Selebi. Motlanthe was widely criticised for his action by the Parliamentary Opposition and the media.
He strongly denied that he succumbed to political pressure from the ANC. The Dalai Lama applied for a visa to enter the country but he was refused entry by the Department of International Affairs and Motlanthe supported this decision.
In , Tutu and de Klerk petitioned Motlanthe to set up a Commission of Inquiry into the scandal ridden and controversial arms deal saga.
Motlanthe did not do so and was again roundly criticised. Another issue, for which he was heavily criticised by both the Parliamentary Opposition and civil society, was the disbanding of the Directorate of Special Operations DSO, also known as the Scorpions in The disbanding of this unit had to comply with constitutional procedures, which was a lengthy process.
The ANC criticised him for delaying the legislation that would terminate the Scorpions, but eventually he signed into law its demise. Even though the due Constitutional process was followed, the official Opposition believed that the long process was a ploy by the ANC to protect its own corrupt officials in government. Again, the ANC was eager for the Bill to be passed quickly.
Motlanthe signed the Bill only after he was convinced that certain provisions, which were unconstitutional, were brought in line with the constitution. Again, he was subjected to criticism from the trade unions and from the media over the deal that he signed, even after he was satisfied that there was to be no job losses. Motlanthe had no ambition to occupy any government position in the elections. The ANC adopted a resolution at its Polokwane Conference to introduce a statutory media appeals tribunal.
Again, there was a huge outcry from the public and a much publicised debate in the media. Some in the ANC were not happy with this approach. Another controversial issue into which Motlanthe was unwittingly dragged into was the Iran helicopter deal, which was published in the Sunday Times of March In an attempt to clear his name, he took the matter to the Public Prosecutor to investigate. He serves as a Chairperson of the Energy Advisory Council.
He was part of a unit tasked with recruiting members for military training. The unit was later instructed to transform its function from recruitment to sabotage. While some members of the unit left the country, he and others remained in the country to establish such machinery. Their unit was also involved in smuggling MK cadres in and out of the country via Swaziland. In he was found guilty on three charges under Terrorism Act and sentenced to an effective 10 years imprisonment on Robben Island.
Usually smartly dressed in a blazer and tailored trousers, the year-old has maintained a low public profile. Little is known about his personal life but a book about him has recently been published by Ebrahim Harvey called Kgalema Motlanthe: A political biography. It is an authorised biography and gives insight into who he is. Mr Harvey refers to the deputy president by his first name throughout the book and tells of how he forgave his wife after she got pregnant with another man's daughter while he was on Robben Island.
Mr Zuma's supporters said they would organise huge protests outside the court, which some saw as an attempt to intimidate the judge hearing the case. It was Mr Motlanthe who urged the Youth League to respect the judiciary, earning the respect of many in the country. Ms Mtshali is elegant, well-travelled, educated and poised - some have commented that she is First Lady material. However, she sits on numerous boards, some say too many, representing a wide range of companies and Mr Motlanthe's allies worry that her business dealings could tarnish his reputation.
Mr Motlanthe asked Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, who plays a role similar to that of an ombudsman , to investigate the allegations and she cleared the couple of wrongdoing. Mr Motlanthe's allies say his prompt action showed his commitment to accountability - in contrast to Mr Zuma, who has been accused of not doing enough to tackle corruption during his three years in power. Jacob Zuma - the survivor whose nine lives ran out.
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