Johannesburg – Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula has gone on the offensive against President Jacob Zuma, claiming he was a “politically bankrupt” leader who married “every week”.

Responding to allegations by Zuma’s lobbyists that he was an opportunist who wanted to switch allegiance because Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe’s campaign was fading, an angry Mbalula said on Sunday he had no time for a leader who thrived on corruption.

This came after some of Zuma’s allies told The Star at the weekend that Mbalula was not welcome in the president’s inner circle because he and Julius Malema had run an anti-Zuma campaign based on vitriolic and personal attacks rather than principle and leadership preference.

Mbalula dismissed as “propaganda” the Zuma camp’s claims that he agreed to back Zuma at a meeting at Luthuli House a fortnight ago.

He said Zuma’s lobbyists were the ones pursuing him, but he rejected them because of the ANC president’s poor leadership qualities and questionable private life.

The former ANC Youth League president said Zuma’s supporters had offered him the position of ANC deputy secretary or a spot in the party’s national executive committee (NEC) in exchange for his ditching anti-Zuma forces.

Zuma’s spokesman, Mac Maharaj, declined to comment on Sunday, saying he did “not make comments on party-political matters”.

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