A social justice group has challenged African National Congress members to defy party instructions to support the illegal sidelining of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.
“To you‚ we say that we know you will be ordered to participate in sanitising the dismissal‚” said Section27’s Mark Heywood.
“We ask you to exercise your conscience‚ demonstrate your loyalty to the Constitution and refuse to obey these unlawful orders. You will be called on to assist in legitimising his removal. We ask you to not obey orders.
“That is the command that Chris Hani‚ OR Tambo and Nelson Mandela would have given you. To take a stand against these orders.”
The case is likely to bring divisions within the ruling party to the fore as the ANC’s official line was a call for “Gordhan and others to fully cooperate with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in order to bring this matter to finality as soon as possible”.
However‚ the ANC’s chief whip in Parliament‚ Jackson Mthembu‚ said he would accompany his friend and “honest” comrade Gordhan to court.
Heywood said Section27 would be there too‚ and “encouraged others to join anti-apartheid struggle veteran Ahmed Kathrada at the Pretoria Regional Court on November 2 to support Gordhan”.
“We are heartened by the Kathrada Foundation’s call for all democratic-minded South Africans to demonstrate in support of Minister Gordhan and call on other foundations and organisations to endorse this call‚” he added.
Heywood said the charges against and Gordhan and his erstwhile South African Revenue Service colleagues‚ Ivan Pillay and Oupa Magashula‚ and “an abuse of rule of law” and that have been “patently manipulated to suit ulterior motives”.
“The attempt to humiliate Pravin Gordhan at the press conference by (NPA boss) Shaun Abrahams was evidence of that‚” Heywood added.
– TMG Digital
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