The ANC will seek a meeting with former president Thabo Mbeki to explain a letter that appears to question the party’s decision to “protect at all cost” President Cyril Ramaphosa on the Phala Phala scandal.
In the letter addressed to Deputy President Paul Mashatile, which TimesLIVE has seen but has not been able to independently verify, Mbeki is purported to have raised concern over the ANC instructing its MPs to block the parliamentary inquiries that would have probed the Phala Phala matter, after a section 89 panel found Ramaphosa may have an impeachable case to answer to.
He says the ANC is making the same mistakes it made when it shielded former president Jacob Zuma on the Nkandla matter and the results of that have culminated in the decline in electoral support.
Mbeki questions why, if the ANC believes Ramaphosa was innocent, it blocked parliamentary processes that would have cleared him.
“I would presume that as ANC members we would assume that our president would not do and has not done anything impeachable. The puzzle is why then did we stop an MPC (multi-party committee) being formed if we were convinced it would establish that our president has not done anything impeachable,” the letter reads.
“Or are we saying that we suspect or know that he has done something impeachable and therefore decided that we must protect our president at all costs by ensuring that no MPC is formed?”
If indeed this was the case, Mbeki charged, then what message was the ANC sending to South Africans and party members on its integrity.
“The way we voted on December 13 2022, to block the process of the formation of an MPC, communicated the unequivocal statement that we do not want parliament to seek and gain a deeper and comprehensive understanding of the Phala Phala matter.
“In other words, we acted as we did because there is something to hide,” he said.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the party’s leadership would meet Mbeki to explain why it took the decisions it did on Phala Phala.
“The issues that comrade Mbeki is raising are important for the discourse within society and our organisation. So we will engage with the former president on the matters that he has raised and once we have finished that engagement we will make our view very clear in terms of the contents of the letter,” said Mbalula.
“Yes, that letter is very much authentic, that is why we are saying that we regret that it is now being leaked to everybody but we will be sitting down to discuss that letter.”
Mbalula said the ANC would stand by the decisions it took when it meets with Mbeki.
“We will process that letter with the former president. It raises fundamental issues that require engagement politically and sober thinking on our part. We are not a riff-raff organisation, we are a leadership and we’ve got to engage with issues no matter how difficult they are,” said Mbalula.
“We believe that the stance we have taken on some of the issues is correct, but nonetheless if a senior leader of the organisation, who is a veteran and a stalwart, has got a different view on matters we need to sit, listen and process. We don’t run away from issues, we discuss.”
ANC to meet Mbeki over letter slamming decision to block Phala Phala probe
Image: Freddy Mavunda
The ANC will seek a meeting with former president Thabo Mbeki to explain a letter that appears to question the party’s decision to “protect at all cost” President Cyril Ramaphosa on the Phala Phala scandal.
In the letter addressed to Deputy President Paul Mashatile, which TimesLIVE has seen but has not been able to independently verify, Mbeki is purported to have raised concern over the ANC instructing its MPs to block the parliamentary inquiries that would have probed the Phala Phala matter, after a section 89 panel found Ramaphosa may have an impeachable case to answer to.
He says the ANC is making the same mistakes it made when it shielded former president Jacob Zuma on the Nkandla matter and the results of that have culminated in the decline in electoral support.
Mbeki questions why, if the ANC believes Ramaphosa was innocent, it blocked parliamentary processes that would have cleared him.
“I would presume that as ANC members we would assume that our president would not do and has not done anything impeachable. The puzzle is why then did we stop an MPC (multi-party committee) being formed if we were convinced it would establish that our president has not done anything impeachable,” the letter reads.
“Or are we saying that we suspect or know that he has done something impeachable and therefore decided that we must protect our president at all costs by ensuring that no MPC is formed?”
If indeed this was the case, Mbeki charged, then what message was the ANC sending to South Africans and party members on its integrity.
“The way we voted on December 13 2022, to block the process of the formation of an MPC, communicated the unequivocal statement that we do not want parliament to seek and gain a deeper and comprehensive understanding of the Phala Phala matter.
“In other words, we acted as we did because there is something to hide,” he said.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the party’s leadership would meet Mbeki to explain why it took the decisions it did on Phala Phala.
“The issues that comrade Mbeki is raising are important for the discourse within society and our organisation. So we will engage with the former president on the matters that he has raised and once we have finished that engagement we will make our view very clear in terms of the contents of the letter,” said Mbalula.
“Yes, that letter is very much authentic, that is why we are saying that we regret that it is now being leaked to everybody but we will be sitting down to discuss that letter.”
Mbalula said the ANC would stand by the decisions it took when it meets with Mbeki.
“We will process that letter with the former president. It raises fundamental issues that require engagement politically and sober thinking on our part. We are not a riff-raff organisation, we are a leadership and we’ve got to engage with issues no matter how difficult they are,” said Mbalula.
“We believe that the stance we have taken on some of the issues is correct, but nonetheless if a senior leader of the organisation, who is a veteran and a stalwart, has got a different view on matters we need to sit, listen and process. We don’t run away from issues, we discuss.”
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