Johannesburg - South African opposition parties Friday
called into question the integrity of President Thabo Mbeki following
reports he suspended the head of the National Prosecuting Authority
(NPA) over the latter's bid to arrest the country's top policeman.
South Africa's public radio reported Thursday that Vusi Pikoli's
suspension came days after he had obtained a warrant for the arrest
of National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi, who is also head of
Interpol.
Several newspapers Friday backed up the report, quoting unnamed
'official sources' as saying that Pikoli's suspension was related to
an alleged investigation into Selebi's links to people involved in
organized crime.
Selebi last year admitted to a friendship with a man accused of
the murder in 2005 of crooked South African mining magnate Brett
Kebble but the police commissioner vehemently denied any involvement
in criminality.
Mbeki at the time had assured the country he could be trusted to
act against Selebi if he found anything untoward in the police
commissioner's conduct.
'We are entering a phase in our democracy where the most serious
questions, with profound constitutional implications, are being asked
about the conduct of the president and the national police
commissioner,' the leader of main opposition Democratic Alliance,
Helen Zille, said, urging clarification from Mbeki.
Mbeki's 'credibility is under suspicion because it appears as if
he has favourites whom he protects,' the right-wing Freedom Front
Plus party charged, calling for an independent judicial enquiry into
Selebi.
A government statement cited 'an irretrievable breakdown in the
working relationship between Pikoli and Justice Minister Brigitte
Mabandla' as the reason for Pikoli's suspension Sunday on the eve of
Mbeki's departure for the United Nations General Assembly in New
York.
The move had immediately sparked media speculation that Pikoli was
being sidelined over the NPA's failure to bring fresh corruption
charges against former deputy president and ruling African National
Congress (ANC) vice-president Jacob Zuma.
Zuma is Mbeki's main challenger for the post of ANC president, to
be decided at a party conference in December.
The NPA is investigating Zuma following the conviction in 2005 of
his former financial adviser for fraud relating to an state arms
deal. That conviction led to Mbeki sacking Zuma as state deputy
president, a decision that forged deep divisions in the party.
A first corruption case against Zuma was thrown out of court late
last year over delays.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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