Magashule Using Zuma’s Playbook, Says Analyst



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Zuma had absolute support when he made his push. He had powerful allies and ordinary party members in his corner, and also the various leagues of the ANC strongly backed him. Magashule doesn’t have that luxury. The ANC Youth League is currently defunct, but the women’s league, led by Bathabile Dlamini, who is seen as a strong Magashule ally, has not shown support, at least not publicly, for the secretary general.

Mathekga said this was expected.

“Women would have to ask themselves what awaits them, because in the ANC those decisions are not based on principles but on survival. It’s easy to flip the stand. The women’s league could be looking for a position that maximizes its interests; they might be waiting to see where this will go before deciding where to put their support. It’s smart to wait, ”he explained.

Outside of court, Magashule was defiant and daring towards the ANC, saying that he will only be removed by the branches that elected him and that he will not step aside while he faces legal proceedings, as dictated by the party’s national general council. of 2015.

Mathekga also believes that Magashule’s announcement of when the NGC is likely to take place, which was postponed this year due to Covid-19, was important in understanding its strategy.

“This is the next big meeting of the ANC branches. He is telling his supporters that, starting today, they should focus their efforts on protecting him in the NGC and shaming his political enemies, ”he said.

A notable absence from Bloemfontein on Friday was that of Zuma, however Mathekga says that Zuma paved the way Magashule is embarking on and that he does not have to appear in court for the policy he advocated to work.

In fact, he believes that Zuma’s playbook is so ingrained in the ANC that even if Magashule wanted to plead guilty, it has reached a point of no return because it almost represents broader thinking in the match than what is unfolding in front of. to the. the.

“We are going to be here a long time. It is a business crime that will probably take longer [to be concluded] and it will take different political forms. It is not known what will happen, ”he said.

He said his biggest concern was that there are no corruption implications against the ANC.

“The ANC has not done anything tangible against corruption, but it did well in this week’s by-elections. If the ANC does well in the elections without changing, it has no incentive to keep a leader who wants to change it and imprison the corrupt.

“Ace can go to jail and Ramaphosa can be expelled from the ANC and we end up with Malusi Gigaba as finance minister. What would we say we have achieved if that scenario happened?

“Of course, law enforcement works independently of politics, but there better be a political plan to deal with political backlash, otherwise it’s a foolish gamble for Cyril,” he said.

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