ANC crisis shattering of ‘Mangaung slate’ – Tokyo

Simnikiwe Hlatshaneni

Former housing minister Tokyo Sexwale has described the unraveling of the ANC leadership crisis as the shattering of the so-called “Mangaung slate”.

He was speaking to journalists after the Nelson Mandela Foundation held a press conference imploring President Jacob Zuma to listen to his conscience and step down.

The former ANC NEC member described the collective fall from grace of top ANC and government officials in a slew of scandals and public squabbles, as a full-circle moment for the party.

“All the people who were happy at our loss at Mangaung, all the people who were happy at our removal from Cabinet, are now being shattered,” he said.

Trustee board members of the foundation expressed their urgent call for Zuma to step down, but also said that the network of corruption which was evident in public entities and government should be removed.

“It would be a mistake to focus on one leader because a network of corruption has been set up and removing one leaves the network intact,” said the foundation’s chairperson, Njabulo Ndebele.

Sexwale recently announced he would step down as chairperson of finance company Trillian after several allegations emerged, including that its CEO, Eric Wood, had ties with the Gupta family and was part of their alleged efforts to influence National Treasury.

Commenting on the controversial family’s alleged influence in the ANC, Sexwale distanced himself from them.

“I don’t know how they operate. But they were partners in some of the businesses that we had … public partners before [Zuma] became president,” he said.