He wants to know whether processes were properly followed.
ANC deputy president DD Mabuza is set to challenge the ANC’s integrity committee in a few days, planning to force it to reveal the evidence it has against him.
The committee says they are not revealing anything – they say they have done their work and have now sent the report about Mabuza’s alleged bad name to the NEC to decide.
Now the Mpumalanga politician wants to force the party’s internal structure to reveal the evidence against him and show if processes were properly followed when compiling the report.
Mabuza is due to meet the committee’s chairman George Mashamba before next week ends and hear from the horse’s mouth what exactly did he do.
The deputy president is part of 22 names which the committee has recommended be removed from the parliamentary list, citing their alleged bad names bring the ANC into disrepute.
They are Nomvula Mokonyane, Bathabile Dlamini, Melusi Gigaba, amongst others and Mabuza has asked that he be not sworn in as member of Parliament until he clears his name.
He is also believed to be someone who doesn’t want to be appointed the country’s deputy president by President Cyril Ramaphosa after the inauguration.
The integrity committee deals with issues of the ethics and values of the ANC and was established to make recommendations to the NEC on certain issues affecting the image of the party.
Mabuza’s spokesman Thami Ngwenya said Mabuza only learned through the newspapers that his name is mentioned in the report and had not seen it.
“When the ANC NEC referred the lists to the integrity committee for further vetting, it clearly instructed that body to conduct such reviews as it may deem necessary within the ambit of the list guidelines, the rules of natural justice and the resolutions of the 54th conference.”
Mabuza wants the opportunity to answer for himself,Ngwenya said.
Mabuza is still waiting “in good faith” for an opportunity to answer any allegations against him, Ngwenya said.
“He himself called to request that he be afforded an opportunity to present himself. He will thus present himself to the integrity committee as agreed to with its chairperson,” said Ngwenya.
He added that Mabuza’s only motivation was to “subject himself to the dictates of the instruments created by the ANC to improve its efficiency and effectiveness”.
“The deputy president feels that as a leader he should be seen to stand by and to support the call to renew the ANC and its call for ethical leadership.
“He takes the mandate given to the ANC in the recent elections with humility and seriousness. It is out of respect of the ANC, its membership and the electorate that as deputy president of the ANC, he has decided to wait for the integrity commission to finalise its processes so that he can have an opportunity to answer to whatever allegations there may be against him.”
He’s preferred not to be sworn in as a member of Parliament following a recommendation by an internal party committee.
ANC deputy president DD Mabuza will lead this country, his former friend Themba ‘Masofa’ Sgudla said Wednesday this week.
Mabuza this week surprised a lot of people when he asked not to be sworn in as member of Parliament until he appears before the ANC’s integrity committee.
Chaired by George Mashamba, the integrity committee deals with issues of the party’s ethics and values and had recommended that Mabuza, Zizi Kodwa, Nomvula Mokonyane, amongst others, be removed from the list of member going to parliament.
Sgudla said he was urging the people of South Africa to “watch the game” that Mabuza will play moving onwards.
“That man will lead this country. What he is currently doing he is testing the integrity of the integrity committee and will expose it. He is now busy working the ground already.
“He will show you whether or not the integrity committee is used to fight political battles. Watch the space,” said Sgudla.
Mabuza, a powerful politician from the Mpumalanga province, is believed to be someone who is not willing to be appointed the country’s deputy president after President Cyril Ramaphosa is inaugurated on 25 May 2019.
He is said to be someone who wants to remain at party’s head offices in central Johannesburg, together with treasurer Paul Mashatile and estranged friend secretary Ace Magashule.
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The integrity committee said they do not reveal what is within the report about Mabuza.
They say the report is the property of the ANC and that “the ball is in [NEC’s] court” to decide on those mentioned in the report.
“The power of the integrity commission is to make recommendations to the NEC and they have the power to decide on issues affecting their members,” said Mashamba.
Meanwhile, Cape Town University’s Professor Richard Calland told the Citizen newspaper that this looks like “the rebuilding of the Premier League” – a lobby group that was comprised of Mabuza, North West chair Supra Mahumapelo, Magashule and KZN chair Sihle Zikalala.
“The case of the deputy president…is something I find quite intriguing. Him removing himself from being appointed may be a ploy to strengthen his position within the ANC – a sign of the rebuilding of the ‘premier league’,” said Calland.
Cyril Ramaphosa will be inaugurated the President of the 6th South African government since democracy was achieved in 1994 and he will then appoint his cabinet.
ANC deputy president David ‘DD’ Mabuza is reportedly not willing to go to the Union Buildings to be SA’s deputy president when President Cyril Ramaphosa is inaugurated and appoint his cabinet in a few days’ time.
The Sunday Times reports that Mabuza cites reasons such as ill-health and the need to “strengthen” the ANC as his reluctance to lead government.
Sources quoted in the paper said that the Mpumalanga strongman is part of a deal that is being secretly brokered and which will see him remaining in the ANC’s headquarters in central Johannesburg – with national treasurer Paul Mashatile becoming South Africa’s deputy president.
NEC member Nkenke Kekana will aid the Mashatile-Mabuza deal, according to the paper.
Both Mabuza and the Gauteng strongman are believed to be close friends and that the top 6 of the ANC is divided into three groups – chairman Gwede Mantashe is with Ramaphosa, secretary Ace Magashule is with his deputy Jessie Duarte and then Mabuza is with Mashatile.
Highly-placed sources quoted in the national weekly said Mabuza is so unwilling to go back to the Union Buildings in Tshwane and is preferring to rather consolidate his power base in the ANC, especially here in Mpumalanga.
Also health concerns are cited as a reason Mabuza prefers to operate from ANC offices.
The paper quotes a long-serving NEC member who says that he had heard about Mabuza’s intention to not go back to the Union Buildings after his appointment last year February, following the forced resignation of then President Jacob Zuma on 14 February 2018.
Ramaphosa will be inaugurated the President of the 6th administration of South Africa at the Loftus Versfeld stadium on 25 May 2019 following the IEC’s declaration of the ANC as the winner of the 8 May 2019 general elections.
He will then appoint his cabinet but the seat of deputy president features high in conversation of people within the ANC and business circles.
Ramaphosa is also seen by others as unwilling to work with Mabuza and will rather prefer to work with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as part of neutralising or “attracting” the KZN bloc, a province that is anti-Ramaphosa and Zuma’s stronghold.
When Ramaphosa goes to government that will allow Zuma forces opposed to him like North West chair Supra Mahumapelo to prepare the ground and meet him in the future.
Both Mabuza and Mashatile, who are not with Zuma, are said to be also working the ground in order to snatch power from Ramaphosa by infiltrating both his and Zuma’s support bases.
“The third way that they presented before Nasrec has not died,” the source told the Sunday Times.
“They feel they can still take over the presidency. They are just getting into a battle they won’t win. The high levels of confidence in [Ramaphosa] will make it impossible to remove him at an ANC conference,” said the source.
An internal ANC document has recommended that Mabuza should not serve in Parliament following a cry by the public that he is an allegedly corrupt man.
Two more sources in the national executive committee of the party told the Sunday Times that they were aware that Mabuza did not want to return to the cabinet, citing ill-health and a desire to “strengthen Luthuli House”.
Another source said Mabuza had long wanted to leave the Union Buildings but wanted to do so on his own terms.
Mabuza’s spokesman Thami Ngwenya doesn’t comment on ANC matters, he said.
The business community sees the man as the one that South Africans have been waiting for but forces within the ANC opposed to the manner in which he handles the issue of corruption are working the ground to go to war with him.
With only few days to go to the 8 May 2019 general elections, there is fear that a poor showing by the ANC in the upcoming poll can give ammunition to those opposed to President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove him.
The 8 May elections is expected to be Ramaphosa’s first take at proving his internal enemies wrong as it is going to be the first time his performance as ANC leader will be gauged.
Besides those who already accuse the man of not implementing the Nasrec resolutions and of allegedly supporting the “witch-hunt” for former President Jacob Zuma to be jailed, the May result will undoubtedly add on to the agenda of his foes.
If Ramaphosa gets below 50% it could force the governing party into a coalition with the EFF and that can weaken Ramaphosa’s chances of being elected head of state as men like DD Mabuza, “the snake in the ANC grass”, are also looking at the position.
Ramaphosa will have to cut above Zuma’s 62% win in 2014 in order to be able to duck the first bullet being fired by his foes on the other side of the road.
In the 2009 elections, Zuma got 65% but declined to 62% in 2014. The 65% that Zuma got in 2009 was a decline on the 69% and 66% that former President Thabo Mbeki got in 2004 in 1999 respectively.
The factions, led by KZN and the other groupings in the former NDZ provinces, are eyeing the upcoming national general council in 2020 to argue that Ramaphosa is taking the ANC nowhere and should vacate the position of President.
The ANC constitution requires the NEC to call an NGC “from time to time” in order to assess progress, review or ratify policies. It is scheduled for June 2020.
The provinces are KZN, Free State, North West, Mpumalanga and other small groupings in the other provinces who feel Ramaphosa is coming to stop the “radical economic transformation” programme that was adopted during their 54th conference in 2017.
They also see Ramaphosa as a leader who runs a factional agenda – “using state organs to fight political battles”, particularly those who didn’t support him towards Nasrec.
“We are just warning them that don’t use state organs to fight political battles,” secretary-general Ace Magashule, one of Ramaphosa’s opponents in the ANC and controller of the Free State bloc, said last week.
He said his office had received a string of complaints from comrades about the use of state organs to fight post-Nasrec battles.
Magashule (Free State), Supra Mahumapelo (North West) and Andile Lungisa (Eastern Cape) are just some of the forces organising the ground with Zuma (KZN) in order to derail Ramaphosa’s train.
Mpumalanga, a province known as SA’s capital of corruption, is also not relaxed with Ramaphosa’s clean-up campaign. It is controlled by Mabuza, the deputy president who is now believed to be a close ally of treasurer Paul Mashatile.
Mabuza caused outrage amongst the NDZ camp in 2017 when he switched allegiance at the eleventh hour – from supporting Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to supporting Ramaphosa – resulting in a marginal victory of 179 votes for Ramaphosa.
The business community feels Ramaphosa must get a decisive victory on 8 May 2019 and be able to run the country and attract the investors who will assist the South African government in the battle to end the scourge of rising unemployment and poverty.
They also want Ramaphosa to get all state and government institutions running efficiently and in the process grow the economy and bolster chances of more and more people getting employment opportunities.
But all of Ramaphosa’s opponents will have to face the SACP, Cosatu and SANCO as well as his staunch and fiery supporters in the NEC like Jackson Mthembu and Bheki Cele.
Ramaphosa’s detractors are opposed to the unbundling of Eskom and the surrender by his cabinet on the issue of the nationalisation of the Reserve Bank as well as rolling out free education and transforming the economy.
They say Ramaphosa, state enterprise minister Pravin Gordhan, former finance minister Trevor Manuel, energy minister Jeff Radebe, to name a few, are serving the interest of “White Monopoly Capital” and it’s the alleged reason why they removed Zuma.
But where the Ramaphosa and the Zuma groupings draw a clear line for the battle is on the issue of Zuma’s “9 wasted years” and the manner in which the issue of fighting corruption is handled, which the Zuma grouping believe is a direct attack on them and the “witch-hunt” to get Zuma jailed.
They see themselves following Zuma in going to jail, therefore Ramaphosa’s campaign must be stopped.
Last month Ramaphosa cancelled two trips aimed at campaigning in Mpumalanga. The reason for cancelling the trips was not given.
A recent research by Ipsos showed that the ANC could get around 56%, a drop from its 62% in 2014.
The DA could also drop – from the 22% it got in 2014 to 15%. Support for the EFF is expected to continue to grow – from the 6% of 2014 to 9% next week.
But researchers are concerned with a poor turnout on election day and say it has the chances of benefiting the ANC substantially – from the projected 56% to 61%.
Ipsos however, also found that compared to the DA’s Mmusi Maimane and EFF’s Julius Malema, Ramaphosa remains the most trusted leader amongst those interviewed, while the trust index amongst the ANC’s own supporters also improved –from 72% when Zuma was still President to 85% now that Ramaphosa is in charge.
Two weeks ago while campaigning in the Kagiso township, west of Johannesburg,Ramaphosa responded to those who were saying he would be removed next year when an NGC is held and be replaced with Mabuza.
“There are fables,” he said on the sideline of an ANC rally.
“All sorts of fables as there were fables as we were going to Nasrec saying ‘that one is history, he will never win and is going to be crushed’,” said Ramaphosa.
“There are many fables around town but what we do is to carry on with the work we have been given by our conference, that is all that guides me,” he said.
Mabuza on the other hand said he would not allow his name to be used in giving Ramaphosa to the “wolves”.
Addressing a May Day rally in Mbombela on Wednesday this week,Mabuza said he would not allow “wolves” to use his name to recall Ramaphosa because that will be killing the ANC.
“I would like to assure you that the ANC will stay united for our alliance to work better,” Mabuza said.
“Those who are seeking to divide the ANC will never succeed,” he said.
“As for me, I don’t have an ambition to push the President, I will defend the president of the ANC, it’s a necessary thing to do.
“I will not allow wolves to eat the President that will mean the alliance and the ANC have been eaten,” said Mabuza.
He embarked on a three-day campaign in the Mpumalanga province whole weekend, listening and making promises to people.
ANC deputy president DD Mabuza has said that he discovered that most people are feeling “neglected” by the ANC in the Mpumalanga province since he left.
Mabuza campaigned the whole weekend in the province, listening to communities and making lots of promises.
He said from now on he will begin to “frequent” the province and assist his successors.
He was elected deputy president during an ANC national elective conference in December 2017.
“The little time that I was out of the province the people feel neglected, they miss me but I think we can pick up on that,” he said while answering journalists on Sunday.
He said he had received “mixed feelings” from people and believed he should frequent the province more to assist.
“Though the new Premier [Refilwe Mtshweni] is trying but I think I must come to the province more often to help them to gel,” Mabuza said.
He said that the disunity in the ANC “has reached a point where it threatens the life of the ANC and if we must do any sacrifice for the unity of the ANC the time is now”.
He said by “sacrifice” he meant that “people should not think about themselves, like who is going to be minister, who is going to be this and that but people must think about the ANC first”.
“Probably you can compromise and not be a minister for the sake of the ANC. Let’s fix what is wrong,” he said.
Asked if he did not think the issues of disunity in the ANC would push potential voters away from the party, he said “No, our people will vote for us”.
“They understand that the problems will be fixed and I’m not denying it myself that we have got problems and we are committing ourselves to fix them. There is no other way.
“We are a generation that must fix these problems,” he said.
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