Even the ANC is getting worried
The debate about whether Deputy President David Mabuza is medically fit to hold office has reached to the top of the ANC, with some members of the national working committee (NWC) questioning if he should continue in his post.
The Sunday Times can reveal that before Mabuza returned from Russia on Wednesday, his prolonged absence was a subject of discussion at an NWC meeting on Monday.
Insiders said the matter was raised by former tourism minister Derek Hanekom, who said it was “concerning” that Mabuza was an absent deputy president.
The opposition, especially the DA, has repeatedly cast doubt on Mabuza’s fitness to remain in office in light of his regular absences from duty. But the NWC meeting was the first time the issue is known to have been raised at high level in the ANC.
Three independent party sources said Hanekom made his remarks at the beginning of the meeting when apologies were being read out.
He is said to have told the NWC that Mabuza’s absences “undermined the state” and the party leadership had a duty to establish what was wrong with him so it could determine whether he could remain in office.
“Derek said in the NWC that comrade DD’s [Mabuza’s] continued absence was undermining the state, going as far as saying we need to get access to his medical records to know if he can continue in his role,” an NWC insider said.
“[The discussion] was obviously shut down as comrade chairperson [Gwede Mantashe] said we don’t want to venture into patient-doctor confidentiality, which also undermines his human rights.”
Contacted for comment, Hanekom said: “I don’t know who told you that, but I never comment on what is said in NWC meetings.”
Mabuza’s spokesperson Thami Ngwenya declined to comment, saying it was a party matter.
Mabuza’s latest trip to Russia, for treatment of an unspecified ailment, lasted a month.
He has previously claimed to have been poisoned at his birthday celebrations in 2015, when he was still premier of Mpumalanga, which necessitated his first trip to Russia for specialist care.
Critical events played out in the country during his latest absence, most notably the unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Ramaphosa delayed reshuffling his cabinet until Mabuza was back.
Another ANC member who attended the NWC meeting criticised Hanekom’s intervention.
“The NEC [national executive committee] has 86 members so it can’t be limping because of one person. It has never been brought to the ANC that the state is struggling, so Derek is being silly,” this source said.
“That’s exactly what shocked some of us, that where do these questions come from? To say that we must be taken into his confidence on what is wrong with [Mabuza] … We were all shocked because it was out of nowhere.”
Another NWC source said he did not want to delve into what was discussed in the NWC but agreed Mabuza’s absence was of great concern.
Mabuza has made very few public appearances since the outbreak of the pandemic. He has twice answered questions from MPs, on one occasion addressing Eskom’s problems.
One leading ANC member said it was “disturbing” that Mabuza had failed to fulfil at least two government mandates.
“He was given the task … of looking into the plight of ex-combatants but as the NEC we don’t get any information,” this person said. “He was given the task of looking after the PPEs [personal protective equipment] to make sure that there is no chicanery, that everything in terms of procurement is done well; he has not completed that task.”
Derek said DD’s continued absence was undermining the state