afrol News, 31 October - South Africa's former president Thabo Mbeki has rejected claims by ruling African National Congress that he will campaign for the party in next year's elections.

Mr Mbeki who was controversially ousted as president by ANC party last month has also rejected that ANC rebel group led by former Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota had sought his support. His resignation prompted some ANC senior members to resign from government.

ANC forced Mr Mbeki to resign last month following a ruling by a High Court judge that suggested his government sought to pressure prosecutors to charge Mr Zuma with graft.

According to local newspaper, The Star, President Mbeki sent letter to ANC leader Jacob Zuma earlier this month but newspaper published a leaked copy on today, on the eve of a convention aimed at organising a breakaway party.

In the letter, Mr Mbeki criticised Mr Zuma for allowing a highly noxious cult of personality to take hold in ANC.

Mr Mbeki said he was surprised at claims by Mr Zuma and others that he was planning to campaign for the ANC. He said that last December at the party convention in Polokoane, when he lost the party leadership, he had warned of challenges ANC was facing.

"I appeal that nobody should abuse or cite my name falsely to promote their partisan cause, including how the 2009 ANC election campaign would be conducted," Mr Mbeki wrote.

However he said he was not going to get involved in internal politics of ANC as the party had lost confidence in him. "I refuse absolutely to rule from the grave," he said.

The ANC began to fracture in 2005 when Mr Mbeki dismissed Mr Zuma as his vice president amid allegations of corruption. The divisions widened last December when Mr Zuma seized control of Africa's oldest political movement and won nomination as ANC's presidential candidate in next year's elections.

The in-fighting exposed deep splits within the party that led the struggle against apartheid, giving birth to a breakaway movement headed by former defence minister Mosiuoa "Terror" Lekota, president Mbeki's loyalist.

Mr Lekota, a former ANC chairman, officially resigned from the party on Friday. The ANC had suspended him three weeks ago after he suggested a new party was to be formed.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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