By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) has refused to be drawn into the tussle between President Cyril Ramaphosa and the State Security Agency’s (SSA) former director-general Arthur Fraser.
The party was briefing the media ahead of the party’s provincial conference in Limpopo on Friday.
Fraser laid a criminal complaint against Ramaphosa, accusing him of breaching the prevention of organised crime act by not reporting an incident at his Limpopo farm in 2020.
He also alleges that criminals entered the farm and were caught after stealing $4 million in cash (R61.8 million).
Fraser further claims the suspects were subsequently kidnapped, interrogated and paid off to keep silent.
ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe said that the party’s national executive committee (NEC) is yet to meet over the matter.
“What I was advising members of the media on is that when the African National Congress reflects on issues including matters that are out in the environment, the organization out of its own choosing may decide to communicate.
“Safe to say the Presidency has already issued a statement on the matter. That should be sufficient really. We should not be really be drawing the ANC on matters that have got very little to do with the organization,” Mabe said.
Meanwhile Ramaphosa’s office said Fraser’s credibility and reasons for opening a criminal case against the president should be interrogated.
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya questioned why Fraser went public about the robbery now, two years after the fact.
“For the president it’s also interesting to note that Fraser was part of the security cluster, he had access to the president. He still would have had access after he left public office to the president and it is very unclear as to why he will go public and press charges.”
Magwenya said there are questions surrounding the timing of the allegations against Ramaphosa by Fraser.
Meanwhile ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile opened the ANC Limpopo conference on Friday.
Mashatile called on delegates to pay more attention to debates that will better the lives of the people of Limpopo.
“It must not just be a conference to elect leadership. At all times we must remember that the ANC exists not only for itself, but also, and most importantly, the ANC exists to respond to the problems of people as a whole.
“Accordingly, from all you comrade delegates, we expect high morale and high revolutionary discipline. We expect exemplary behaviour worthy of emulation by others within our movement who are yet to hold their provincial conferences.”
Mashatile said renewal and unity of the party was a mission that could no longer be postponed.