FORMER ANC Member of Parliament (MP) Makhosi Khoza has told the commission of inquiry into state capture that was difficult to conduct parliamentary oversight as fellow MPs would criticize her and others for merely doing their jobs.
She implicated former ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe and Jessie Duarte, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula and former Finance Minister Des Van Rooyen as responsible for putting pressure on MPs.
Khoza left the ANC in 2017 after she was charged with bringing the party into disrepute and failing to follow party policies.
This was after she publicly criticised the party’s leadership on Facebook for failing to act against Zuma despite numerous allegations of corruption.
She said Van Rooyen stating that he told her not to question ”comrades”, after she questioned the South African Airways (SAA) transformation plan presented by the airline’s former board chairperson Dudu Myeni.
In August 2017, the eighth motion of no confidence was tabled against former President Jacob Zuma.
Twelve opposition parties got together and planned marches in support of that motion.
Khoza said it was then that the ANC leaders started instructing the party’s MPs not to vote with their conscience.
“On Thursdays, the ANC parliamentary caucus was often addressed by the then ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe and Jessie Duarte. They were telling us that the party was under attack and we needed to defend it, said Khoza
“We were told that an attack on the position of the president of the ANC is an attack on the organisation and some of us strongly disagreed. It was one man who was a liability to the ANC. We were then instructed to vote in favour of Zuma and that nobody would be allowed to vote in support of the motion.”
She added that Mantashe was quoted in the media stating that ANC MPs who vote with the opposition against Zuma would be committing the highest form of betrayal.
Khoza also told the Zondo commission that she started receiving death threats when she publicly defied the ANC leadership.
“I always have difficulty when I get to this part. The threats were not just directed at me, they were directed at my children. I was stronger and didn’t mind when the threats were directed at me, but my children were going through so much emotional pain.”
Khoza said ANC MPs and officials who followed the Constitution and did their job diligently have been severely punished.
(SOURCE: INSIDE POLITICS)
