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The party’s leadership emerged from the 2017 Nasrec conference summit that sought to build a united organization.
ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule on Reconciliation Day 2020 attended the ‘Youth Dialogue’ in his hometown of Parys, Free State, which focused on gender-based violence. Image: Boikhutso Ntsoko / EWN.
JOHANNESBURG – The African National Congress (ANC) has entered the new year with more apparent divisions on numerous issues, including the fate of its Secretary General Ace Magashule and the quality of leadership provided by its President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The party’s leadership emerged from the 2017 Nasrec conference summit that sought to build a united organization.
But the last three years have underscored how difficult it is to unite the different factions.
The battle lines have long been drawn: either the ANC expels Magashule or watches as its allies try to weaken the party chairman when the long-awaited national general council takes place.
ALSO READ: Magashule allies defend it after ‘leaked’ integrity commission report
Magashule faces corruption, fraud and money laundering charges linked to an asbestos project during his tenure as Prime Minister of the Free State. But he has refused to resign despite the ANC’s own resolution that those facing serious charges must do so.
“If the branches say I should step aside… I was chosen by the branches at the conference. I will go to a special conference and the branches should tell me ‘Comrade Magashule, step aside’.
ALSO READ: ANC integrity commission recommends that Magashule step aside immediately
The party integrity commission also recommended that he step aside immediately, eliciting this response from Magashule.
“I don’t want to enter that space; we have made a decision and all the decisions of the national conference must be implemented and interpreted correctly for us to do what we are supposed to do ”.
WATCH: I’ll just follow my lead from the ANC NEC – Ace Magashule talks about the report leak
This current battle has further driven a wedge between the warring factions they are engaged with, coming together under the umbrella of the Wounded Coalition, seeking to find salvation and a way to remain relevant in the ANC.
Disclosures from the state capture commission have also contributed to widening divisions, with more ANC leaders implicated in allegations of wrongdoing.
Accusations of corruption have also been used in the party’s political battles, and those who are considered to be Ramaphosa’s allies or so-called good guys have also suddenly been placed at the center of corruption allegations; this saw presidential spokeswoman Khusela Diko take a leave of absence.
“The spokesperson has stepped aside, we are investigating that matter and will resolve it once we have investigated it,” Ramaphosa said.
ANC leaders have also spent some time in the past year arguing about their own family members benefiting from the tender bonanza that came with the fight against COVID-19.
Many of these issues are expected to continue to divide ANC members and leaders in 2021, with some wondering whether the mid-term review conference will smooth or harden the obvious divisions.
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