Sowetan

ANCYL guns for Cyril

Call for Hawks to probe remarks on buying votes

- By Ngwako Modjadji

The ANC Youth League is up in arms against Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, demanding that he report ANC leaders who he accused at the weekend of buying votes

The league, which supports President Jacob Zuma and does not want Ramaphosa to succeed Zuma in December, warned the deputy president that should he fail to report criminal activities, that amounts to a criminal offence.

During the former SACP leader Chris Hani memorial lecture in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape, Ramaphosa said money was being passed around in black bags and brown envelopes ahead of the ANC’s national elective conference .

Zuma once said: “It’s like those who steal today – they say Zuma steals while they are the worst thieves. They have investigat­ed me all over but they are finding nothing because I’m not doing anything .... Those are the thieves and I know they are stealing. I’m just watching them. I know them‚” he said.

But no one in the ANC asked him to report those who steal.

ANCYL eThekwini regional secretary Thinta Cibane said it regarded the allegation­s as serious. “The ANC Youth League calls upon the Hawks to immediatel­y make themselves available to Mr Ramaphosa in order for this critical piece of informatio­n to be with the authoritie­s for investigat­ion and possibly arrest him.

“We certainly hope Mr Ramaphosa will find time to forward this informatio­n because failure to do so in terms of the provisions of the law may attract criminal charges against him.”

Cibane said the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004 creates a duty for those in positions of authority, who know of any wrongdoing, to report such to a police official. “We have confidence in the deputy president that as a law-abiding citizen he will report the allegation­s ….

“What Ramaphosa said has serious repercussi­ons. It raises critical questions about where the money is coming from. The ANC is involved in many corruption scandals.”

However, Cibane said if Ramaphosa made the remarks from a moral point of view, those who were corrupt should not be elected to ANC leadership positions. Ramaphosa’s spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa refused to comment.

We hope he forwards this info Thinta Cibane ANCYL ETHEKWINI REGIONAL SECRETARY

 ?? / BRIAN WITBOOI ?? Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa during a SACP Chris Hani commemorat­ion address in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape.
/ BRIAN WITBOOI Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa during a SACP Chris Hani commemorat­ion address in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape.

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