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- Party members have weighed in on Ace Magashule and recent reports of an imminent arrest.
- Two party members, who were part of the CR17 faction, said Magashule was trying to seek public sympathy.
- Supporting NEC members, however, said his arrest would further divide the party and cause a split.
ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule and his supporters are working on a multi-pronged approach to discredit law enforcement, seek public sympathy and use the latest planned marches to show their strength, party members told News24. .
News24 spoke to four members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) who had their thoughts on the storm hitting the ruling party.
The latest were the arrests of ANC leaders and the recent report that Magashule was writing to the National Tax Authority (NPA) about an alleged arrest warrant.
Two NEC members, who were part of the CR17 faction in the lead up to the Nasrec conference, said they believed Magashule and his supporters were trying to change the goal posts.
READ | The hawks know nothing about Magashule’s ‘arrest warrant’
“It is changing our approach to the charges that will be imputed to politics. By leaking information that there is a warrant issued against him, he moves the needle to say that his arrest is due to political factions. As we have seen, the members of the ANC are now focusing on politics rather than crime, “said a member of the NEC and MP.
Magashule has been on the radar of law enforcement for his ties to corrupt deals in the Free State.
Last week, the Hawks made groundbreaking arrests in connection with the R255 million asbestos deal in the province, arresting seven people, including businessman Edwin Sodi and former Mangaung mayor Olly Mlameli, who is an ally of Magashule.
Magashule is said to have participated in the deal.
Alleged
Similarly, he is alleged to be involved in the Estina Dairy Farm corruption scandal that led to the theft of hundreds of millions of rand from state coffers.
While Magashule and his allies have called his alleged impending arrest “nothing more than political,” others suggested that he and his followers were preparing for what appears to be a pre-emptive fight.
Another NEC member and close ally of President Cyril Ramaphosa said the result of Magashule’s arrest would mean that the NEC would be forced to ask him to resign.
An insider said:
“If you are suspended and do not sit in [the] The council’s selection process means that the faction he leads will lose power, especially in the Free State. The taps will run dry. This convocation of a national general council [NGC] it is also a calculated movement to check the balance of forces and to register themselves and their plan. If the members are not in favor of Ramaphosa in the NGC, it is clear that when the national conference comes, he will be gone. ”
Magashule supporters under the banner of “hands off Ace Magashule” marched to Luthuli House on Thursday to pledge their support. The faction, commonly known as the Radical Economic Transformation Forces (RET), also called for an urgent NGC.
Last year, some within the party called for an early NGC to eliminate Ramaphosa.
The ANC’s constitution, however, states that an NGC has the right to ratify, alter, or rescind any decision made by any of the ANC’s constituent bodies, units, or officials, including evaluating the performance of NEC members.
READ | Hawkhead: ‘We have never received instructions from anyone’
It also states that an NGC can fill vacancies in the NEC “as long as such vacancies do not exceed 50% of the executive.”
“The march to Luthuli House is part of the psychological warfare to give the impression that they have numbers, but they don’t. They’re just bragging. Equally, what you need to remember is that the NGC has the power to reverse a NEC decision, This can work in your favor if you have the numbers.
Influence
“So if the SG is suspended, he cannot influence or manipulate the numbers as the chief administrator to make sure that the delegates attending the conference are his delegates. That is what is at stake here.”
Another NEC member in the Magashule camp said the recent arrests and the promise of more arrests by the Hawks were a sign that the contest was starting for the next conference.
“Everyone who has a chance to emerge in the top six, I think they are going to get in trouble. Both Public Protectors, Thuli Madonsela and Busisiwe Mkhwebane, made it clear to Magashule on the Free State issue that he is the ‘Helena.’ of corruption and the leader of the gangster state.
“I don’t think the state has a strong case against it based on those two reports. But as part of the humiliation, attempts will be made to get to it and I think what it will be like to divide the organization,” the NEC said. the member said.
He added that the consequences of a Magashule arrest would mean that the ANC would weaken and could not even contest local elections.
Agitation
“It will be very negative for us. Yes [the] NPA [were] to continue, I don’t think they are doing well. There are too many riots in various corners. There is nervousness[s] white farmers in terms of what the future holds for them in this country. There is nervousness[s] of ex-combatants who feel betrayed after contributing to the liberation of the country.
“We are not in a good space to arrest the SG. That would unintentionally trigger other situations that will be to our detriment,” he said.
A member of the NEC, who sits in Luthuli House, said the NPA would now have to stop persecuting Magashule to protect the integrity of the institution.
He added that the denial by the NPA and Hawks that there was an arrest warrant issued against Magashule caused any case against him to lose credibility.
“Even if they have a case against them, it will be a lot more like a witch hunt. I don’t think it will help them. They will be more like Mickey Mouse saying there is no arrest but they do something different. The leak has even exposed that the people who work on the file are not united either. If there was such a leak from the Hawks it is a problem even for the security of the country.
“If we can try to unite behind the issue of economic recovery and social cohesion. We know that the land issue is very sensitive and now AfriForum has come to the United Nations, it means that it will not touch on this land issue without other people in it. The world raises its voice. We have to be very sensitive in how we handle other issues, “he said.
