Kebby attacks Ramaphosa and Sisulu
Slams ‘lobbying’ at rival MK gathering
An ANC military wing backing Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to be the next ANC leader unleashed an onslaught against presidential hopefuls Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.
Yesterday, the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans’ Association (MKMVA), led by Kebby Maphatsoe, accused the two ANC leaders of “factionalism” and “ill-discipline”.
This after both Ramaphosa and Sisulu attended the all-inclusive conference, under the banner of UmKhonto weSizwe (MK) held over the weekend in Nasrec, Soweto, organised by former MK combatants, who included General Siphiwe Nyanda.
The conference was attended by senior ANC leaders such as former president Kgalema Motlanthe and national council of provinces chairwoman Thandi Modise, among others.
Maphatsoe accused Ramaphosa and Sisulu of using the conference to lobby ahead of the ANC elective conference in December.
“You can’t attend the conference of an unconstitutional structure and legitimise it. We are disappointed with their leadership,” he said.
The MKMVA will hold a media briefing at Luthuli House today to comment on the decision by Ramaphosa and Sisulu to attend the MK national council.
Maphatsoe reiterated that the MKMVA was the only legitimate MK structure.
The MKMVA and the MK national council are embroiled in a bitter battle over the legitimacy of the MKMVA conference which re-elected Maphatsoe as the association’s leader in June.
The MK national council resolved to annul that “bogus” conference, which was funded by the defence and military veterans department.
Meanwhile, there are allegations that the department was instructed not to fund the MK national council conference.
Nyanda told Sowetan the department initially promised to fund the conference.