MKMVA’s president Kebby Maphatsoe says the mooted expulsion of ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule could spark massive protests which can escalate into civil unrest, plunging the country into a crisis ahead of October’s local government elections.
Maphatsoe’s stern warning to the ANC comes after reports emerged on Sunday that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s supporters were engaged in frantic discussions over the weekend to agitate for Magashule’s expulsion following his decision to take the organisation to court.
According to a City Press report, Magashule said he does not fear being expelled from the ANC for taking the organisation to court because he exhausted all internal processes before embarking on that route.
This comes as ANC’s Top Six are expected to communicate a way forward on the court action by Magashule to have his suspension declared unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid.
Magashule, who is facing various criminal charges, including corruption, fraud and racketeering related to the R250m asbestos eradication tender that was awarded in the Free State during his time as premier, also wants the court to declare unconstitutional the ANC’s entire ‘step-aside’ rule.
In a wide-ranging interview with Inside Politics, Maphatsoe warned against Magashule’s expulsion, saying it would have far-reaching implications for the ANC, just as the expulsion of former ANC Youth League president and current Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema did a few years ago.
“If we have not learnt from the Julius Malema saga then I don’t know. Malema’s expulsion had a huge impact on the ANC support base and has adversely affected our voter support in the last few elections. The EFF has now more than 40 seats in Parliament than the IFP which has been long in politics. This is a matter of great concern to us,” said Maphatsoe.
“We cannot allow ANC leaders to sit at corners and discuss the expulsion of Magashule. Voters will desert us as they did when Malema left the ANC. Some may not leave the ANC but they will just sit at home and simply not vote because you have expelled Magashule. No one can ignore the strength of Magashule on the ground.”
Maphatsoe said his association has written a letter to the ANC’s national officials requesting an urgent meeting to discuss Magashule’s suspension in a desperate bid to deescalate rising tensions in the branches.
“The ANC’s national officials have acknowledged our letter of request for an urgent meeting. We are hoping to raise various issues, including the handling of the Secretary-General’s suspension; the ‘step aside’ policy; and the role of the Integrity Commission in the whole matter. We are not happy with the way the Integrity Commission has handled the issue of comrade Magashule,” said Maphatsoe.
“If you expel Magashule today, the ANC would suffer. Our comrades still think this is the same period before the Morogoro Consultative Conference held in Tanzania in 1969. It is different now. We now have factions and they are institutionalized in the movement. What we need is a consensus on the matter. It is not going to assist if you expel Magashule.”
Maphatsoe said the ‘step aside’ resolution adopted at the ANC’s elective conference should not be implemented because of the lack of consensus on the policy, saying the resolution should be debated at the party’s national general council (NGC) and at the party’s elective conference in 2022.
“Much as we have adopted the ‘step aside’ resolution at the conference we cannot implement it for now; just as we can’t implement the resolutions on the implementation of the nationalisation of the Reserve Bank and expropriation of land without compensation. The organisation is bleeding. We are creating more divisions in the ANC with the ‘step aside’ policy,” said Maphatsoe.
Maphatsoe also took the opportunity to slam ANC Veterans League president Snuki Zikalala, saying Magashule should face the music and be disciplined for taking the ANC to court.
“We are worried about the comments made by Snuki Zikalala in the City Press. He is not representing the voice of the veterans. He is a factionalist and is not acting on principle. He thinks he is relevant. He is not and doesn’t even have a constituency to speak of. Politics has clearly left him. He’s just an empty tin making a lot of noise,” said Maphatsoe.
Meanwhile, an ANC faction aligned to Magashule is reportedly lobbying support in provinces revolting against the party’s NEC to suspend the Secretary-General.
Magashule’s supporters in Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, North West and the Free-State have reportedly embarked on an aggressive recruitment drive in ANC branches, regions and party provincial executive committees (PECs) to bring the country to a total standstill if the NEC, the ANC’s highest decision-making body between conferences resolved to expel him.
- Inside Politics
