The Nelson Mandela Foundation has sharply criticised South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, saying that “political meddling for private interests” during his tenure has weakened state institutions and poses a threat to the country’s democracy. “It is painful for us at the Nelson Mandela Foundation to bear witness to the wheels coming off the vehicle of our state,” the organisation said on Tuesday. South Africa to quit international criminal court Read moreThe intervention is unusual because the foundation, created by Mandela, has traditionally avoided making political statements. “We have seen a weakening of critical institutions such as the South African Revenue Service, the National Prosecuting Authority and law enforcement bodies due to political meddling for private interests,” said Njabulo Ndebele, the chairman of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. The foundation chairman did not directly call for Zuma’s resignation, as some South Africans have done, but urged the ruling party to ensure that the state is put “in safe and capable hands”.

Source: The Guardian November 01, 2016 16:12 UTC