The vast majority of members of the ANC’s highest decision-making body threw their weight behind the suspension of their secretary-general, saying the decision was “fundamental to the party’s renewal”.
Ace Magashule was suspended last week as he faces corruption charges over a contract to audit homes with asbestos roofs when he was premier of the Free State in what has been widely hailed as a victory for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s reform agenda.
However, Magashule and his supporters are not going down without a fight, with some of his loyalists at the national executive committee (NEC) meeting at the weekend calling for an early conference and warning the saga could force disgruntled members to split away from the ANC, which is due to hold its elective conference in 2022.
But only one-third of the 86-member NEC were fighting in Magashule’s corner, insiders said, suggesting he does not have widespread support for his reinstatement.
In his opening address on Saturday, Ramaphosa said the ANC needed to act against graft in the most serious manner or risk losing public confidence and electoral support.
Insiders said his speech was met with some “hostility”, but the vast majority of those in the meeting, which started on a chaotic note as Magashule had to be booted out pending the outcome of his appeal against the suspension, rallied behind Ramaphosa.
The NEC heard from former president Thabo Mbeki, who, according to an NEC source, said “in totality that the ANC needed to not succumb to threats by those aligned to Magashule in order for the party to re-emerge as a leader of society.”
Mbeki’s comments are in contrast to a leaked audio clip addressing the NEC in which he expressed concerns about the state of the ANC. It was one of several clips leaked on Saturday that appear to be pushing Magashule’s agenda. The leaks prompted the ANC on Sunday to issue a statement threatening disciplinary action.
Business Day understands that Magashule is among 30 ANC members who received suspension letters last week in line with the party’s step-aside policy for those facing serious criminal charges.
It is in line with Ramaphosa’s reform agenda in the ANC and comes following his testimony at the state capture inquiry that the ANC needs to be “cleansed” after a decade of corruption corroded almost every layer of government during Jacob Zuma’s tenure. The ANC has proved to be significantly resistant to change, particularly due to remnants of Zuma’s administration in the top structures.
Ramaphosa has also been reminded in NEC meetings that he won the ANC presidency by a slim majority and if he did not put unity of the party first, he would face a revolt. But this has not materialised. So far, only individuals and some branches in eThekwini have come out in Magashule’s defence.
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