Johannesburg - Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma’s defiance campaign in Parliament on Tuesday won her many supporters in both politics and society.
The Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister and ANC MP, Dlamini Zuma has been hailed as a brave and principled member of the ANC after she became the first ANC representative in Parliament to go against the party line when she voted with the opposition to adopt the Section 89 independent panel report, which was debated in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
On taking the stand, Dlamini Zuma described herself as a dedicated member of the party who serves at the behest of its leader, the president.
“As a disciplined member of the ANC, I vote yes,” Dlamini Zuma said.
Her hardline stance against the party’s call for all ANC MPs to toe the party line and reject the report was met with applause from opposition political parties, who hailed her as a hero.
Outside Parliament, the leader of the EFF congratulated her for standing her ground, saying it was a win for opposition political parties to have had a senior ANC MP vote with them.
“It’s an achievement for what we represent to get Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to support us. Nkosazana is not a rascal; she’s an outstanding and disciplined member of the ANC,” said EFF leader Julius Malema.
Following her showing inside Parliament, Dlamini-Zuma said she read the Section 89 report before making her decision to vote against the party.
“I'm a member of Parliament, a public representative. So I voted according to my understanding of the report; I read it thoroughly and supported it. I serve at the behest of the president. If he wants to reshuffle me, even this minute, it is his right. It is his democratic right. So I won’t hold it against him,” she said.
The Star