‘If Cyril loses, fight against corruption will end’
Northern Cape premier says Cyril’s opponents will ditch renewal programme
● Northern Cape premier Zamani Saul has warned that gains the ANC has made in fighting corruption will be reversed if President Cyril Ramaphosa loses at the party’s national conference in December.
In an interview with the Sunday Times this week Saul said he always feared that Ramaphosa would not finish his first term as party president as there were indications that some of his comrades intended to remove him because of his tough stance against corruption.
Saul, who is also the ANC chair in Northern Cape, said if Ramaphosa’s opponents won at Nasrec the party’s renewal programme would be abandoned.
“If Cyril Ramaphosa loses, within the first three months of the new NEC they will throw the Zondo commission report out of the window. They will come up with all sorts of reasons why this report can’t be accepted and implemented. They will throw it out, just as we did with the Scorpions.
“All the work done to strengthen state institutions, particularly those with the responsibility to enforce the law — [such as giving] the National Prosecuting Authority about R1.7bn more to prosecute and investigate cases — all of that will be reversed,” said Saul.
Ramaphosa is expected to be challenged by former health minister Zweli Mkhize, cooperative governance minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu.
The Northern Cape was one of the first provinces to indicate that it would back Ramaphosa’s bid for a second term.
Saul said Ramaphosa had accelerated the renewal programme at “great risk” given the pushback from some members of the national executive committee (NEC).
He said when Ramaphosa came to power he worried that those who could possibly
land in jail because of the renewal project would launch a move to oust the president before he finished his first term. The fact that Ramaphosa was still president of the party and the country showed that he was strong and worthy of a second term, said Saul.
The ANC was initially “halfhearted” in its implementation of renewal after the 2012 conference, with many saying the project would be divisive and send some of their “adored leaders” to jail.
“Cyril comes in, he pushes the NEC to
take strong views and a strong stance around issues of renewal. That was a risk.”
Saul admitted that he had underestimated Ramaphosa’s “resolve” and “tenacity”. Despite all the pushback he had received over the years he was still standing and had a lot more fight left in him.
“I can see he’s still very much focused on the work at hand and ensuring that we renew the organisation.
“Under normal circumstances you would expect any leader who’s subjected to so many attacks to be seriously off balance by now.”
It was only after the ANC received shocking results at the 2021 local government elections that more NEC members realised there was no alternative but to forge ahead with the renewal project or lose power, Saul said.
“That is the reason now in the NEC he’s very strong. Overwhelmingly he’s got support.”
At least 17 ANC cadres are vying for the top-six positions.
The fact that so many people believe they can lead the ANC, Saul said, was proof that the leadership bar in the party had been “completely lowered” amid “ideological degeneration”.
If Cyril Ramaphosa loses, within the first three months of the new NEC they will throw the Zondo commission report out of the window Zamani Saul
Ramaphosa’s challengers have spoken against one of the core aspects of the renewal project, the step-aside rule for those facing legal action, saying it was unfair and causing divisions.
Most of them, Saul said, would abandon their campaigns if they were up against the former great leaders of the ANC.
“If you look at people who are vying to serve in the top six of the ANC ... and put them on the doorstep of the 1997 national conference of the ANC and ask them to contest to be in the top six, all of them would say ‘no, I’m not going to do that ... I’m not ready’.
“The issue then is that because of ideological degeneration the bar has been lowered, everybody sees himself or herself as a leader ... there is no ideological integrity,” said Saul.