WHAT MBEKI TOLD ACE

Magashule’s ‘consultation’ with the ANC elders went as everyone expected. And, once Magashule falls, it seems he may take the forces of ‘radical economic transformation’ with him

NC secretary-general Ace Magashule was given 30 days to consult party elders — but really, the time was given to him so that he could reflect and allow his conscience to direct him on the best course of action.

That he did not step aside of his own volition, say insiders, proves he has “no conscience” and is desperate to save his own skin at the expense of the party.

His consultation with elders didn’t change his mind either. On Sunday night, he told the ANC’s top officials that he won’t step aside, prompting a decision agreed upon by the leaders, including President Cyril Ramaphosa and his deputy, David Mabuza, to suspend him.

Kgalema Motlanthe and Thabo Mbeki had urged Magashule to step aside, say sources close to the talks. It is understood that Mbeki asked to speak to Magashule alone — he was accompanied by a delegation of ANC members and supporters.

In contrast, former president Jacob

Zuma’s advice to Magashule was to stay put, even though he had himself stepped aside when he faced the prospect of corruption charges in the early 2000s.

It is understood that Mbeki was particularly vocal in the national executive committee (NEC) meeting last month, when Magashule was placed on notice.

Mbeki is understood to have told Magashule

Athat when Gwede Mantashe, then ANC secretary-general, came to inform him that the NEC had decided he should be removed as president, he complied — even though he wasn’t happy about it.

This referred to the NEC’s decision in 2008 that Mbeki should step down as the country’s president, after Zuma had ousted him as party president at the Polokwane elective conference the year before.

Party veteran Mavuso Msimang has adopted a similar stance to Motlanthe and Mbeki, saying Ramaphosa and his backers need to “grab the bull by the horns”.

Msimang tells the FM: “The so-called radical economic transformation [RET] forces, or people who are opposing the president, are not so strong. They have a few leading personalities, and I can count only up to 10 or so. They do not have a strong following.”

The RET faction, he says, relies on populist slogans that can’t be implemented.

“For example, some of the people say the Reserve Bank should be nationalised — that demonstrates ignorance.

“It’s just sloganeering. There is nothing in their daily political contribution that says they are in favour of helping the poor,” he says.

Ramaphosa, in other words, need not fear them, and should instead act decisively.

He has taken a strong stance on several occasions without provoking resistance.

One example is the unprecedented open letter he wrote last year placing the ANC at the centre of the rampant corruption in SA. “We have allowed corruption to continue and, at times, to flourish within our ranks. The ANC may not stand alone in the dock, but it does stand as accused No 1. This is the stark reality that we must now confront,” Ramaphosa wrote.

But the current standoff requires a majority of those in the NEC who don’t believe in Magashule’s style of politics to stand up for what they believe in. The fact that, until recently, not many challenged Magashule’s actions and statements created the impression that the RET grouping has a decent following, when in reality it doesn’t.

Msimang says the leaders “are always reacting to the so-called RET forces, when they should be grabbing the bull by the horns”.

Already, there are signs that certain provinces are taking the fight to the RET faction. In the North West, former chair Supra Mahumapelo has been suspended for five years for bringing the party into disrepute. And the Eastern Cape was the first province to implement the “step aside” rule when it pushed aside leaders facing criminal charges.

To Msimang, these events suggest that Ramaphosa can pull the ANC in the right direction.