ANC getting nervous

The ANC has found itself in a public relations quandary after statements by party secretary-general Gwede Mantashe which suggest that the party holds contempt for the rule of law.

In weekend reports Mantashe was quoted as describing Judge President of the Transvaal Provincial Division Bernard Ngoepe and his deputy Jerry Shongwe as "apartheid apologists" for concurring with Judge Ben du Plessis that the Congress of the People (COPE) was entitled to use the name - after an ANC legal challenge to prohibit this.

Mantashe added that he could "forgive" Judge Du Plessis for not understanding the ANC's history because he was white.