South Africa

BOILING POINT

ANC must ‘confront the RET’s degenerative political whirlwind’, urges Northern Cape premier

ANC must ‘confront the RET’s degenerative political whirlwind’, urges Northern Cape premier
Radical Economic Transformation (RET) backers in the Free State briefed the media on their support for Ace Magashule and former president Jacob Zuma on 17 February 2021 on Naval Hill in Bloemfontein. (Photo: Gallo Images / Alet Pretorius)

While Zamani Saul favours letting the Radical Economic Transformation faction go, ANC Treasurer-General Paul Mashatile urges caution and warns against cutting Ace Magashule loose too hastily.

Northern Cape Premier Zamani Saul says that the ANC’s Radical Economic Transformation (RET) faction is flexing its muscles and testing its ability to start a split-off political party.  

In an opinion article on ewn.co.za, Saul writes that the “RET is neither a faction nor lobby group, but a sample of an establishment of a new political party, which will soon emerge when the push-back strategy fails.  

“The RET grouping is still within the ANC for now only because it is calculating the exit costs. The strategy, therefore, of the RET grouping is to use the ANC womb to incubate this new political party until the timing is right to cut the umbilical cord for its independent existence.”

This is the first time a senior ANC leader has publicly accused the RET faction of secessionist tendencies. It is a faction associated with former president Jacob Zuma and the party’s Secretary-General, Ace Magashule. Its public face is Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association chairperson Carl Niehaus, who organises the faction on a day-to-day basis.

Saul writes that as a broad church, the ANC has always had “intra-party groupings”, which have multiplied since it morphed from a liberation movement to a government. The RET grouping was something else, he argued, and challenging it required an “aggressive strategy” and a strengthening of the party’s disciplinary committee. 

South Africa beware: Ace Magashule’s RET faction will fight to the bitter end

Magashule is unlikely to step aside voluntarily in 30 days as instructed by the party’s National Executive Committee, and the next step is to refer him to the disciplinary committee. 

Saul also says that the “paralysing equilibrium” between the party’s reform and RET wings needs to be broken by “an urgent and the overriding need for bold leadership… to confront the RET’s degenerative political whirlwind that seeks to undermine and scandalise the ANC”.

Speaking in the Eastern Cape, President Cyril Ramaphosa used a Charlotte Maxeke Memorial Lecture to confront the “degenerative political whirlwind”.

“I’ve asked myself what would Charlotte Maxeke have done… she would have doggedly focused on unity and renewal of the ANC… to her, this would have meant [to] not be [engaged in] any form of factionalism, and she would have refused to be a member [of] or participant in any faction that could have come about,” said Ramaphosa. 

The ANC has dedicated 2021 to the legacy of Charlotte Maxeke, the polymath South African leader who was South Africa’s first black woman graduate, a member of the famous African Jubilee Choir and an early member of the SA Native National Congress, the ANC precursor.  

“She would have said no to corruption, she would have known corruption in the ANC is like poison and it kills,” said Ramaphosa.

At the other end of the spectrum, the ANC Treasurer-General, Paul Mashatile, told SABC news said there should be no rush to boot out ANC members charged with corruption. DM

Gallery

Comments - Please in order to comment.

  • John Bestwick says:

    Let’s have a good old Commue Purge of these Zumavirus infected thieves and bumbling thugs. I am thoroughly sick of the sight of Zuma,Myshoesareloose and Nohouse. Losers and rentseekers one and all

  • Sergio CPT says:

    The sooner this abominable and thoroughly corrupt anc splits, the better. Let these thieving and evil degenerates form their own party. The remaining of anc can join forces with the rest ie DA, Action SA etc and put this country back on the right track. Also prosecute these criminals to the end.

    • Roy Haines says:

      Well said! The current DA appears to be in the political doldrums at present and joining of the moderates from both the DA and ANC would see it finally having some focus and purpose.

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

X

This article is free to read.

Sign up for free or sign in to continue reading.

Unlike our competitors, we don’t force you to pay to read the news but we do need your email address to make your experience better.


Nearly there! Create a password to finish signing up with us:

Please enter your password or get a sign in link if you’ve forgotten

Open Sesame! Thanks for signing up.

We would like our readers to start paying for Daily Maverick...

…but we are not going to force you to. Over 10 million users come to us each month for the news. We have not put it behind a paywall because the truth should not be a luxury.

Instead we ask our readers who can afford to contribute, even a small amount each month, to do so.

If you appreciate it and want to see us keep going then please consider contributing whatever you can.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options

Become a Maverick Insider

This could have been a paywall

On another site this would have been a paywall. Maverick Insider keeps our content free for all.

Become an Insider

Every seed of hope will one day sprout.

South African citizens throughout the country are standing up for our human rights. Stay informed, connected and inspired by our weekly FREE Maverick Citizen newsletter.