The African National Congress (ANC) is utterly
disappointed by comments attributed to Frene Ginwala, which appeared in a
Sunday newspaper. The ANC today (7 December 2009) engaged with Miss Ginwala
to confirm whether these were indeed true. We have noted that - in a
"statement by Frene Ginwala to Sunday Times" editor, which is in ANC
possession, Miss Ginwala seeks to correct what she actually told the
newspaper reporter.

In a "statement" by Miss Ginwala to the Sunday
newspaper, forwarded to the ANC, she says: "I certainly would never call
South Africans ‘inferior'. I did say we were ignorant about what was
happening in Africa because the newspapers, in particular the Sunday Times,
failed to inform the public about events in Africa. I also praised the
change in City Press that had consciously become an African newspaper. A
report of discussions at the meeting (of the Coalition for a Dialogue in
Africa which took place in Tunisia), had you carried any, would have
included praises for President Zuma's policies on HIV/AIDS and in particular
his statement that he had taken and would be taking an AIDS test."

The ANC
leadership will soon be meeting with Miss Ginwala to clarify what she
actually told the newspaper about the country and about President Jacob
Zuma. We are disappointed that we had to call Miss Ginwala on this matter
and that she did not have the decency to call the ANC leadership or the
President to put her side of the story. In our meeting with Miss Ginwala,
we want her to clarify what she said and the context in which she did so.

Any assertion that there is no political leadership in the country is
devoid of all truth and should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves.
Unfair criticism of President Zuma as someone not giving leadership to the
country and the nation is not borne out of any facts.

For those who are
fast asleep amidst the unfolding of events in which President Zuma has - to
much appreciation of the South African citizenry and the international
community - given political leadership, we want to take them through a few.

Just this past Friday all eyes throughout the world were glued on South
Africa when the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup event held in Cape Town to
announce the final draw of country soccer teams that will be playing on our
soil next year, heard President Zuma - amid thunderous applause - giving
leadership to the country and the world on how prepared we are. By anyone's
standards, this has gone down as a clear indication of the international
community's vote of confidence in South Africa, particularly in President
Zuma, the ruling ANC political collective and the Local FIFA Organising
Committee in hosting the world's most prestigious event.

Messages of
appreciation for President Zuma's courageous stance during his World Aids
Day speech - hailed by all South Africans including opposition parties - as
demonstrating a fundamental progressive shift in Government policy of how we
intend to effectively deal with the HIV/AIDS pandemic, continue to pour.
Reaction from organs of civil society and the international community as
well as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has equally been good.

The ANC
would further like to remind any Doubting Thomases that President Zuma is
his own man - not a copycat of any person when it comes to dealing with
matters before him. He takes his mandate from the ANC collective and the
people of South Africa.

South Africa and the ANC collective continue to
appreciate his leadership, particularly how he has led the country through a
difficult period marked by economic challenges like the effects of the
global recession. In addressing this, he has brought together all key
stakeholders like labour, business and Government officials to find
solutions.

Among steps taken, he has set up a special fund to pre-empt
recession-hit companies from laying off workers, ensuring that workers are
retrained and given other roles. This will certainly go a long way in
mitigating against the effects of the recession. During the global economic
downturn, the President has also shown leadership in reversing the increase
in salaries of senior public office bearers, including ministers and members
of Parliament (MPs) by 1% from 8 %.

With President Zuma at the helm, the
ANC-led Government has never sought to undermine any African leader or
Government, as the Sunday article purports. We have respect and have always
dealt with African challenges through the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU). We therefore, disagree with the
notion that we are not in touch with what is happening in the continent and
that we are "arrogant".

We believe and have confidence in the ANC
leadership collective elected in the ANC 52nd National Conference in 2007
and will continue to accord it the respect it deserves.

Had Miss Ginwala
had the decency to call the ANC leadership or President Zuma on whatever it
is that she said about him, she would have in all likelihood arrived at the
same conclusion as all of us, that in President Zuma we have a humble down
to earth leader whose only preoccupation is to better the lives of all South
Africans, particularly the rural poor. We are hopeful that in the future,
Miss Ginwala will raise whatever issues that she is unhappy about, through
the ANC leadership before making unfortunate pronouncement and assertions to
the media. Such behaviour on her part might be misconstrued to be a
Post-Polokwane Traumatic Stress.