Home » Police Minister Fikile Defends President Zuma on BBC Hardtalk

Police Minister Fikile Defends President Zuma on BBC Hardtalk

South Africa’s Minister of Police, Mbalula Fikile, has defended President Jacob Zuma against calls for him to step down, in an interview with BBC Hardtalk. Speaking to Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur via satellite, Fikile discussed divisions within the African National Congress (ANC) and President Zuma. The interview is due to air on BBC World on 5 and […]

04-05-17 18:43

South Africa’s Minister of Police, Mbalula Fikile, has defended President Jacob Zuma against calls for him to step down, in an interview with BBC Hardtalk.

Speaking to Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur via satellite, Fikile discussed divisions within the African National Congress (ANC) and President Zuma.

The interview is due to air on BBC World on 5 and 6 May.

Sackur‏ tweeted: “Is #SouthAfrica’s #ANC Govt in a death spiral? Watch Police Minister @MbalulaFikile’s loyal defence of @SAPresident on @BBCHARDtalk.”

In a video preview, Fikile says views expressed by individual ANC members such as Cyril Ramaphosa and Mathews Phosa do not necessarily represent the views of the ANC. He was responding to a question by Sackur concerning Phosa’s assertion that Zuma should step down or “history will judge you to be the architect of the destruction of the ANC”.

Fikile says “Mathews Phosa and Cyril Ramaphosa and whoever in concert, they are not ANC in their own right” and that these views are “not shared commonly… it’s not a view that the majority of members of the ANC agree with.”