The African National Congress (ANC) is set to meet on Monday, May 24, to decide whether to take formal disciplinary action against suspended secretary-general Ace Magashule.
According to BusinessDay, the high-level meeting could result in Magashule’s suspension turning into an expulsion from the party.
The more radical wing of the 20 ANC women and men who make up the powerful NWC wanted the party to be decisive on the matter and act against Magasgiule, irrespective of his court application, City Press reported on Sunday.
They argued that Magashule’s decision to involve the courts did not hold water and that the ANC should not be stunted by the move, the report said.
CR17 sealed bank statements
Magashule was instructed by top party officials earlier this month, to publicly apologise to President Cyril Ramaphosa after he served him with a suspension letter, without any authority to do so.
This came after Magashule wrote a letter to Ramaphosa in which he informed him of his decision to suspend him in relation to the CR17 sealed bank statements.
This was after the ANC suspended the membership of Magashule until finalisation of his court case.
Magashule was currently out on R200 000 bail and charged with corruption, fraud, and money laundering related to a Free State asbestos tender, dating back to his tenure as premier of the province.
Magashule, however, approached the High Court in Johannesburg to declare the ANC’s step-aside resolution unlawful and to set aside his suspension.
The real motive
According to IOL, in his court papers, Magashule said his removal from office was aimed at ensuring that the CR-17 faction which supported Ramaphosa re-elected him as party president at its next elective conference in December 2022.
He also made serious allegations against Ramaphosa and his supporters, saying the political ideals were to serve the interest of big businesses which were white and ratings agencies, while his grouping was looking after the interests of “the poor”.
“The real motive behind my being purged is the desire to remove me, by hook or by crook, from the all-powerful position of SG (secretary-general), so that the road to the re-election of President Cyril Ramaphosa and his faction in the next national conference is made easier,” IOL quoted Magashule as saying in his court papers.
Step-aside-resolution
The court papers reportedly irked top party officials, including Ramaphosa.
The broadcasting television channel, eNCA quoted Ramaphosa as saying Magashule should be the last person to question the constitutionality of the step-aside resolution.
“For the Secretary-General to decide and take his own organisation to court and to question the constitutionality of the very constitution that he’s been implementing and adhering to is a big surprise.
“This is unprecedented but we will obviously need to go through that. The matter is sub judice and we must let the process run its full course,” Ramaphosa said.
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