Ace supporters ‘berated’ by Dlamini after being voted out
Supporters of suspended ANC secretarygeneral Ace Magashule suffered another setback this week in elections to positions on party structures.
After Magashule lost control of the ANC in the Free State following the appointment of his opponent Mxolisi Dukwana as convener of an interim provincial task team, two of his backers in the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) were removed from key positions.
Thuthukile Zuma — the daughter of former president Jacob Zuma and minister of co-operative governance & traditional affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma — and her ally Sizophila Mkhize were removed as fundraiser and national spokesperson respectively when the ANCYL national youth task team elected a new national working committee.
ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini, a known Magashule ally, is said to have called a meeting of the Magashule-aligned members of the youth league after the outcome was announced.
“What then happened is that the fundraiser, the spokesperson and the organiser were not elected in the meeting. What we said is that the working committee must appoint those people. So currently those positions are vacant,” said an insider.
At the meeting convened by Dlamini the Magashule supporters “had to account” for how they lost the vote “if they are a majority”, the insider said. “They were locked in a session for seven hours where they had to account, and people were accused of selling out, they were threatened — it was bad. They were told that they sold out ... and that they will not emerge anywhere else.”
Dlamini confirmed that a meeting with some members of the youth league task team had taken place at her house. She denied, however, that she had called the meeting and that she had chastised them about the outcome of the vote.
“How do I enter on how they voted, because sometimes you will be voted by people who are not even your friends. You must call the vote and do your own analysis,” she said.
“They are the ones who called me, crying because they were fighting among themselves after that vote.”
Dlamini said that as much as the Sunday Times was not wrong, its story was merely a drop in the ocean and she would reveal shocking details about the youth structure.
“I will reveal their names one by one; because they have given you the story, they think they have given you a scoop. I won’t say these things on the newspaper because you will ruin it, I will say it on social media,” she said. You do have a story, it’s not amanga [lies] ... you said I must confirm or not confirm. So we will both take out our stories. You’ll only get half,” she said.
“I want to teach you to stop jumping into things. This thing has not matured, it’s going towards maturity. You are catching a small story because you want to tarnish my name just like the rest of the men in South Africa.”
Magashule will face off with his party when his application to have his suspension overturned is heard this week. But he is on the back foot as his allies lose influence.
The ANC’s national working committee last week appointed a new task team in the Free State, confirming the disbandment of the provincial executive committee that was led by Magashule’s ally Sam Mashinini.
Magashule also faces possible charges and an internal disciplinary hearing for defying the terms of his suspension, which barred him from addressing ANC supporters. This comes after he addressed supporters outside the Pietermaritzburg high court at Zuma’s trial earlier this month.