South Africa

ACE OF NO BASE

An outwitted Magashule won’t go without a bang, ‘suspends’ Ramaphosa in ANC staring match

An outwitted Magashule won’t go without a bang, ‘suspends’ Ramaphosa in ANC staring match
From left: Ace Magashule. (Photo: Gallo Images / Sunday Times / Alon Skuy) | President Cyril Ramaphosa. (Photo: Waldo Swiegers / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The ANC sent Secretary-General Ace Magashule a suspension notice on Monday. On the same day, Magashule informed President Cyril Ramaphosa that he would also be suspended from the party. Magashule is on the ropes and desperate.

There was a lot of speculation on Wednesday evening about whether a leaked letter from ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule to President Cyril Ramaphosa was real.

Magashule is facing criminal charges regarding a R255-million Free State asbestos tender, one of the many questionable deals under his premiership in the province, and is a prime candidate for the ANC’s step-aside rule, which essentially says that any member facing criminal charges should vacate their positions while their cases continue.

In a leaked letter, ANC Deputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte on 3 May 2021 told Magashule he would be temporarily suspended from his position, pending his criminal case. At the end of March 2021, the ANC’s National Executive Committee gave Magashule 30 days to step down or face suspension.

The party was true to its word.

It appeared Magashule was outplayed by his rivals in Ramaphosa’s camp, but the secretary-general, who was used to getting his own way in Free State, fought back.

On Wednesday, Magashule’s letter to Ramaphosa, dated 3 May, the same day he was suspended, was leaked. Magashule, who has attempted to expand the ANC’s step-aside guidelines to include not only charged but implicated officials, told Ramaphosa he was also suspended from the ANC due to claims about the funds he raised for his CR17 campaign to become president of the party.

Magashule told the countrys president “you are hereby temporarily suspended, with effect from 3 May 2021 , from all activities of the ANC, pending all the internal processes of the ANC, as well as the finalisation of the pending matters to which I have referred above”.

The ANC confirmed Magashule’s letter to Ramaphosa was legitimate. In a statement, it said it noted the secretary-general’s comments, but: “The decisions of the National Executive Committee and National Working Committee stand. The NEC will be meeting over the weekend and will accordingly respond to the Secretary-General. The ANC requests that the Secretary-General respect the decisions of the NEC and subject himself to the discipline of the organisation.”

ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe appeared on Newzroom Afrika on Wednesday night and defended the president rather than his boss, Magashule. Mabe said the ANC NEC would reflect on Magashule’s comments but the party was disciplining its comrades in line with its resolutions.

“Ace has lost his marbles,” said an NEC member who explained the process to Daily Maverick.

According to the ANC’s constitution, it doesn’t appear that Magashule has the power to suspend Ramaphosa, a decision which could only be taken by the NEC or national working committee.

Magashule’s attempts to paint himself and Ramaphosa with the same brush appear nonsensical but will likely gain traction in some quarters. There are still unanswered questions over Ramaphosa’s wealth and the investments in his ANC Nasrec campaign.

But unlike Magashule, Ramaphosa hasn’t been tied to blatant corruption attempts to benefit the governing party. Ramaphosa has not been charged with corruption, nor has any evidence emerged from the Zondo inquiry that he should be charged.

Magashule’s attempt to suspend the president looks like the last kicks of a dying horse, trying to salvage influence in a party that has saved so many others from accountability. DM

Gallery

Comments - Please in order to comment.

  • Alley Cat says:

    And how long will it take for the horse to die? You couldn’t come up with a better script if you invented it. The ANC should have a slot on comedy central!

  • Chris Charles says:

    Some circus!

  • Chris Green says:

    Long term planning. If we think Mokorongo (sic) was a challenge for this party and that Codesa was well settled, those were merely forerunners of what this party has to deal with on a generational basis. Settlement terms are : CR gets a second term as the court case for Ace is protracted, and …..

  • Chris Green says:

    and around 2025 Ace will be found not guilty and return as Dep President, then President of SA. Woe is me.

  • Hiram C Potts says:

    So much for ANC unity & all that moronic rhetoric. This is what happens when you pander to the likes of Ace & place the party before the country. Well at least the gloves are off now.

    These thieving clowns can’t even abide by their own resolutions, how can we ever expect them to run our country?

  • David Anthony James Starley says:

    If history is anything to go by then all the corrupt cadres, Ace included, will ‘get away with murder’.
    They all appear to be untouchable!
    Also? The difference between the ANC and a circus is that a circus is organised.

  • MIKE WEBB says:

    Yawn! They are all same same cANCer!

  • Andy Miles says:

    The African National Cancer sickness is Stage 4. No chemo or radiation will save this patient. Natural treatment where the patient takes responsibility for making itself well needed. Diet of morality, logic and full accountability recognising the sovereignty of the Constitution and State b4party.

  • John Bestwick says:

    And does step aside suspension also not apply to the criminally charged Zuma? What is he doing attending NEC and NWC meetings?? His membership should be revoked!

  • Karl Sittlinger says:

    This is the first sub steps of steps required. Right directions, way to late, lets see if this ever translates to actual accountability. Doubtful of course if the last 20 years, even before Zuma, are anything to go by.

  • John Bestwick says:

    Hopefully this puts a sock in Carl,s mouth too!

  • Charles Parr says:

    How naive I was to think that adult games took place in private.

  • Colleen Dardagan says:

    So sick of all this really! Can we have a proper government please!

  • stan garrun Garrun says:

    Well the gloves are off. Let’s hope Cyril steps up. He has put the party & corrupt officials first. It has not benefited the ANC or the country. It’s time to lead. We know the ANC is poor to say the least. But for now Cyril & co in the ANC are as good as it gets. Get over it & let’s get on with it.

  • Sandra Goldberg says:

    Enough of this ridiculous posturing from the ANC! In cases of extreme corruption, the terms “step aside” and “suspension” need to be replaced with “immediate expulsion” until such time as the matter is fully ventilated in a court of law!

  • Abel Appel says:

    When is the ANC going to get rid of this albatross? What has happened to the ANC of Nkosi Luthuli, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela? We are left with riff-raff like Magushule, Toni Yengeni, Jacob Zuma and the court jester, Carl Niehaus. Get rid of them all and save South Africa.

  • Martin Absil Absil says:

    The ANC aka “The perpetual joke”.

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

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.