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Factions within the African National Congress (ANC) are reportedly planning protests across the country, promising a series of nationwide shutdowns over the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) ruling that Ace Magashule, and those accused of serious crimes, they are put aside.
According to the circulars distributed by the faction called ‘Radical Economic Transformation’ (RET), seen by the city press, these elements within the ANC are targeting closures in subways, national highways, access to shopping centers and even taking the protests to the suburbs.
The measures are expected to begin next week, to coincide with the 30 days Magashule and others have been given to withdraw, City Press said.
All ANC members who have been charged with corruption or other serious crimes must withdraw within 30 days, otherwise they must be suspended, the ANC said. Magashule has been charged with money laundering, fraud and corruption.
The RET faction mobilization would apparently go against ANC NEC resolutions, where President Cyril Ramaphosa last week (March 30) made it clear that the faction was unwelcome and effectively prohibited members from using party resources to direct a parallel body. that was not recognized by the ANC.
Ramaphosa warned against the creation of factions within the ANC, including the RET, and said it “undermines the ideological and organizational integrity of the party.”
The RET faction is seen as a grouping within the ANC still loyal to former President Jacob Zuma, operating out of the secretary-general’s office, with the support of former Zuma allies.
Magashule and his supporters have launched a series of proxy battles that challenged the ANC NEC’s stance on key issues in recent months, including supporting students protesting college fees that the government cannot pay; defying the ANC’s call to support a vote against the public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane; and demonstrate in defense of Zuma, who openly defies the Constitutional Court and the state capture commission.
While the NEC’s resolutions against Magashule and the RET faction have been widely viewed as a victory for Ramaphosa within the party, showing that he now has majority support, some analysts have warned that the battle is far from over.
Intellidex analyst Peter Attard Montalto noted in a note this week that the general secretary’s office is still in charge of the recall process.
“One problem will be that the Secretary General’s Office has to process the ‘step aside or be suspended’ notice and it just can’t do anything under Magashule’s direction,” he said.
In general, the secretary general is expected to follow the same path as former President Jacob Zuma and become a victim, Attard Montalto said. This includes enlisting the support of sympathetic groups within the party and hoping to gather sufficient force at the grassroots level in the provinces.
Both Zuma and Magashule have taken the position that the charges against them were politically motivated.
“Things can still develop in a complex and messy way. We do not see Magashule voluntarily step aside and instead we will see the full 30 days and then it will be suspended for maximum victim status.
“What happens after that is not clear yet. The unknown here, really, is whether you intend to keep showing up to work at Luthuli House to create flash points, or whether you will want to play the victim in a different way by highlighting that you are being prevented from going to work. This will dictate the outcome in terms of critical points, ”he said.
Read: ANC issues ultimatum to Ramaphosa’s key rival
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