ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa is said to have received “overwhelming support” from the party’s MPs during their first caucus meeting in his battle with secretary-general Ace Magashule.
This is according to MPs who were at the meeting on Thursday morning, who told Sunday Times Daily all MPs embraced Ramaphosa’s explanation over why he did not recognise a letter, unilaterally issued by embattled Magashule, suspending the party president.
Magashule, after an announcement by the ANC national working committee (NWC) that he had been suspended over his criminal charges, issued a stunning repost on Wednesday night that made a counter announcement that Ramaphosa had also been suspended over the CR17 campaign saga, even though that was not yet a criminal matter.
He did, in his opening remarks at the beginning of the meeting, express his dismay over last night’s events, especially his so-called suspension.
— Acting spokesperson of the ANC parliamentary caucus Nomfanelo Kota
Delivering his opening remarks at the closed meeting, Ramaphosa told the party’s MPs that “he’s dismayed” Magashule’s conduct on Wednesday night.
According to MPs who attended the parliamentary caucus meeting, Ramaphosa said he did not recognise the letter from Magashule as it had no legal standing and no single leader in the ANC had powers to suspend another as an individual.
They said “none whatsoever had a problem with the explanation given by the president on the SG matter”, including those known to be in the pro-Magashule grouping, or the “RET faction”.
Acting spokesperson of the ANC parliamentary caucus Nomfanelo Kota said Ramaphosa addressed the Magashule matter as he welcomed his MPs from a month-long recess.
Kota said Ramaphosa was giving “marching orders” to party MPs ahead of several critical political events, including campaigning for by-elections scheduled for later this month.
He then used the opportunity to slam Magashule for alleging he had also been suspended.
“He did, in his opening remarks at the beginning of the meeting, express his dismay over last night’s events, especially his so-called suspension,” said Kota when asked about developments at the ANC caucus meeting.
“He stated that in his view that was null and void, as it had not been discussed by any of the officials,” added Kota.
By “officials”, Kota was referring to other top six officials of the ANC such as deputy president David Mabuza, national chairperson Gwede Mantashe, Magashule’s deputy Jessie Duarte and treasurer-general Paul Mashatile.
Magashule’s plunging of the ANC into high drama on Wednesday has been interpreted as part of the former Free State premier’s fightback strategy, what with him making the move just hours after the ANC NWC announced it had resolved to suspend him.
The step-aside battle is now expected to resume at the meeting of the ANC national executive committee due to start on Saturday.
An NEC member, who is a Ramaphosa sympathiser, said they would not allow the reopening of any discussion on the legality of Magashule’s suspension at the weekend meeting, saying they considered the matter closed.
The ANC insider, who leads one of the party’s provincial structures, said instead they would be calling for action to be instituted against Magashule for violating his conditions of suspension by performing the functions of his office when he had been suspended from doing so.
“It borders on ill-discipline, that thing. It’s another charge on its own,” said the NEC member, who asked to remain anonymous because they were not allowed to speak publicly on the matter.
“I might be one of those who say the guy needs DC [disciplinary hearing] ... I think he wants to be expelled. You can’t challenge the organisation like that as an individual,” he said.
In the letter signed off by Duarte, the ANC NWC said it had suspended its secretary-general after he failed to comply with an NEC resolution that he and others facing criminal charges should step aside from their positions by the end of April.
Magashule is due to go on trial later this year on charges of corruption, racketeering and money laundering related to a multimillion-rand asbestos eradication tender issued under his tenure as Free State premier.
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