ANC mulls terms of presidency
SG reiterates party is centre of power
Informal talks within the ANC are taking place about realigning the terms of the party president and president of the country.
Yesterday, Energy Minister Jeff Radebe confirmed there were informal talks about the issue. “Comrades on an informal basis are talking about using experiences of other countries, including our neighbour in Botswana, where there is a method of how transition happens from one president to the other,” Radebe, who is also the ANC’s head of policy, said at Luthuli House.
The ANC in North West has previously pushed for a realignment of the terms of the ANC president and president of the country.
This was in an endeavour to avoid a situation where there were two centres of power.
The late president Nelson Mandela is the only president since the dawn of democracy in 1994 who finished his term of office. Former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma tendered their resignations after the governing party formally requested them to [leave office].
Radebe said there was no precedent set by presidents not finishing their term.
“We have seen it in the new administration in 1994, former president Mandela completed his term,” he said.
“It was only on specific issues with the former president Mbeki and Zuma that [it] has happened.”
ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule said the president of the ANC has to become the president of the country once the party won an election.
However, Mbeki and Zuma were told to leave office before general elections.
“In terms of the ANC constitution and resolutions of conferences, we have made sure that the president of the ANC becomes the president of the country once the ANC wins elections.
“The issue of two centres is not an issue. We have explained that the ANC is the centre of power. Here in Gauteng comrade Paul [ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile] was serving as the chair of the province and comrade Makhura [Gauteng premier David Makhura] was the premier. It was not about the individuals deployed.”
The ANC is also moving to adopt the terms of reference for its powerless integrity committee. The ANC will make a final decision on who should serve on the committee at its national executive committee meeting in May.
This is despite the fact that the ANC failed to take a decision at its national conference in December about whether the committee should be given more powers to force leaders to step down if they bring the party into disrepute.