By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has hit out at three of its former leaders and South African heads of state for their public criticism of incumbent Cyril Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa’s predecessors – former presidents Thabo Mbeki, Kgalema Motlanthe and Jacob Zuma – expressed their disapproval of the state of the country and the ANC under Ramaphosa’s leadership.
In a statement on Sunday, the ANC in KZN called on the former presidents to “exercise restraint” and express their criticism within the internal structures of the party.
“The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has noted a very strange occurrence wherein the above leaders are attacking the sitting ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC publicly. Clearly, such an exercise is eroding the standing of the organisation in society.
“Whilst we respect their rights, as enshrined in the constitution, of the freedom of speech, we respectfully request our leaders to exercise restraint.
“We call upon leaders of our movement to use the right channel to raise whatever frustration they have with the ANC instead of attacking the ANC, its government and its leadership in public,” the party said.
Mbeki said the African National Congress (ANC) must deal with the looming reality that Ramaphosa may face impeachment over the Phala Phala saga.
He said ANC’s top leaders should meet to discuss whether or not Ramaphosa should step aside if the independent panel investigating the Phala Phala saga finds that he has a prima facie case to answer.
In a frank address at the annual general meeting of the Strategic Dialogue Group (SDG) on Saturday, Mbeki said the ANC had to consider what type of leaders it wanted to elect at its December conference.
He said the ANC was being led by criminals. “When you talk renewal of the ANC, you’re carrying too much baggage of wrong people. You have to have the courage to face that you have a renewed ANC led by criminals,” he said.
Mbeki said the ANC had to reflect on the accusations hanging over Ramaphosa’s head.
Meanwhile Zuma on Saturday accused his successor, Ramaphosa, of corruption and committing treason following the robbery at his Phala Phala farm.
“Our country’s problems are too big for Ramaphosa to be hustling on the side through Phala Phala Farm sales. Ramaphosa conducting private business while holding a high office of being president of the country is in itself unconstitutional and nothing but corruption.”
“It is inconsistent with the oath of office taken by President and those who defend such deeds, both in the executive and the legislature, commit treason against our constitution. Suffice to say that your president has committed treason.
Motlanthe warned that both the country and the world were in deep trouble. The time for ideas and the time to exchange has never been more pressing for the survival of democracy and humanity than it is now.
While it acknowledges the challenges facing the governing party, the ANC in KZN said the conduct of Mbeki, Zuma and Motlanthe “forces us to choose between them and the ANC”.
“Unfortunately, as elected leaders, we are duty-bound to defend the ANC and its leadership.”
The party added that no court of law has ever found either Zuma or Ramaphosa guilty of corruption.
“Such matters are being processed by relevant authorities and therefore accusing them of being corrupt is contrary to the well-established and fundamental principle of our law of the presumption of innocence – as stated above.”
The ANC in KZN further called on the former presidents to “take a leaf out” of former president Nelson Mandela’s legacy.
It said after Mandela left office in 1999, he spent his time as an elder and doing what elders do, “instead of attacking a sitting president”.