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The long-awaited meeting of the tallest structure between conferences finally sits down on Friday.
ANC leadership at the party’s special NEC meeting on September 29, 2019 in Pretoria. Image: @ MYANC / Twitter.
JOHANNESBURG – As all eyes turn to the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) this week, some will expect fireworks when the long-awaited meeting of the party’s highest structure between conferences finally takes place on Friday.
Yet there are signs that the party is stuck in finger pointing and legal jargon about its 2017 resolution that those facing serious charges should step aside. At that time, the resolution sought for the party to take a moral stand against the scourge of corruption that plagued the country.
Some sectors have called for decisive action against ANC General Secretary Ace Magashule, who currently faces charges related to 21 counts of corruption, money laundering and fraud.
Two weeks ago, in an attempt to show strength and defiance, Magashule told crowds gathered in front of the Mangaung magistrates court that only ANC branches could remove him from office.
READ: Ace Magashule accused of corruption: I will not resign as ANC secretary general yet
Factions in the ANC have been hard at work calculating the odds of how this week’s NEC meeting will play out, with one trying to find a lever to oust Magashule from the secretary-general’s office, while another has been trying to find ways to block the offer. looking at who else in the room is implicated in allegations of corruption or any wrongdoing.
“They know they can’t touch the SG. If they do, we will simply ask them what about Zizi [Kodwa]and pinky [Kekana]. There are many of them who also have clouds over their heads, ”said an NEC member close to Magashule. Eyewitness news.
The names of Kodwa and Kekana emerged in the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, and businessman Edwin Sodi, facing corruption charges related to the Free State asbestos project, told the commission that numerous politicians and officials received money. from his company, which got its money from government tenders.
Kodwa, who was the national spokesperson for the ANC at the time, was further implicated during this week’s testimony from Steven Powell of forensic company ENSAfrica, which was appointed to investigate corruption, bribery and fraudulent activities at the giant TI EOH in 2018.
Powell told the commission that during their investigations, by analyzing the bank statements of EOH director Jehan Mackay, Mackay made several payments to Kodwa. He said there was nothing wrong or illegal in the transactions.
READ: ANC’s Zizi Kodwa, Zuma Advisor Received EOH Payments, Zondo Inquiry Said
The former spokesman is now Deputy Minister of State Security. Kodwa confirmed to Eyewitness News that they had received the donations, but said they were not from EOH but from the private accounts of someone linked to EOH.
COMPARING APPLES TO APPLES
“You can’t compare Zizi to the SG,” another executive committee told Eyewitness News.
The senior politician argued that the two not only differed in importance and influence in the party, but that Kodwa was not in government at the time, while Magashule was the prime minister of the Free State.
“You just can’t compare him to Zizi or anyone else, they are not equal in responsibilities. The man [Magashule] he is the general director of the organization, and in that sense he occupies an office that must always be seen for having integrity and credibility, “said the second informant.
Shortly after Magashule’s arrest, national ANC officials held a briefing in which they pledged to support the secretary general and called for fair and equitable treatment.
When Magashule appeared in Mangaung, several leaders who actively campaigned against Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidency stood by his side, including Malusi Gigaba, Tony Yengeni, Bongani Bongo, and Supra Mahumapelo.
The NEC member supporting the secretary-general said he was working hard to mobilize in parts of the country and that he could count on a “coalition of the wounded” in the party to stand by his side.
“A definitive realignment is taking place. If they think they can easily get rid of the SG, they should think again, ”said the source.
COALITION OF THE WOUNDED
The so-called wounded coalition is said to have been reinforced by the recent legal opinion acquired by the ANC from defender Gcina Malindi, who said the party could not force any of its members to deviate from their positions within it, as it should. let members determine for themselves.
In August, NEC members agreed that those facing corruption or any serious charge should step aside, while those implicated in such should appear before the party’s integrity commission. Both Magashule and the Ramaphosa party agreed to appear before the committee, which is made up of ANC elders.
The confusion over the members’ decision to step aside has been a headache for the party, with KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga struggling to understand how to handle the matter.
In KwaZulu-Natal, attempts to have the controversial former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede, who is now a member of the provincial legislature, retire failed, while in Mpumalanga the provincial executive committee angered the public when it reversed a decision to suspend one of his PEC members and former MEC, who is accused of raping his daughters. Since then, the party has rescinded the revocation of the suspension due to internal and external pressure.
In Gauteng, two PEC members, Khusela Diko and Dr. Bandile Masuku, have been forced to step aside by claims that they played a role in awarding a multi-million dollar tender to Diko’s husband from the Department of Health of Gauteng, which was later led by Masuku.
The Dikos and Masukus are friends.
Another NEC member said the public shouldn’t necessarily expect a mass showdown, as the different factions had leaders under scrutiny.
“I may be wrong, but all of these people have problems, along with a conflict-reluctant leader. One doubts that something will come out. I think we are stuck at the moment, ”observed the ANC member.
Without a dominant majority faction in the NEC, the party’s highest decision-making body could face a stalemate on the way forward, even though the public expects the party to show that it can act against corruption. The stalemate is likely to weaken public perception of Ramaphosa, who rose to his presidency promising to act tough on corruption.
The NEC is expected to take place over the weekend.
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