Sisulu drops COPE bombshell
Ramaphosa urged to probe explosive claims on foundation of splinter party
ANC NEC member Lindiwe Sisulu has called on the party’s president Cyril Ramaphosa to seriously look into the allegations that the Congress of the People (COPE) was created by ANC veteran Trevor Manuel, former finance minister Tito Mboweni, current Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and former president Thabo Mbeki.
The letter to Ramaphosa comes after an interview on social media platform Youtube via a channel titled The Hustlers Corner where Sisulu says that there were “startling and troubling revelations about former and current senior members of the ANC in respect to the formation of the Congress of the People party in the run-up to the 2009 presidential and parliamentary elections.”
Sisulu said that she was worried that some of the names broadcaster JJ Tabane mentioned as being behind the formation of the party were still members in good standing of the ANC and sat on its highest decision-making bodies.
“Many may argue the mentioning of the names, such as Comrades Trevor Manuel, Tito Mboweni, Enoch Godongwana and Thabo Mbeki by Dr Tabane, is a cynical ploy to promote his upcoming programme on eNCA channel,” she said.
Sisulu said that during the interview Tabane was prepared to meet any of the mentioned names in court if they believed he was making slanderous statements.
She said that what was more concerning was that no one knows what else he would be revealing in stage whichwould have a drastic effect on the movement.
“It didn’t escape the South African public’s notice that in one of Malema’s press conferences he intimated that certain members of the party told his party leadership that they were spearheading the formation of the new party. Again in 2019 a senior member of ANC admitted publicly that he had worked with opposition leaders in the botched attempt to remove a sitting president of the ANC from power,” added Sisulu.
She told Ramaphosa that these were worrying phenomena which clearly have the potential to destroy the ANC for good. She said that it was regrettable that to her knowledge no measures have been taken by the highest decision-making structures of the party to sanction those who engaged in what “I describe as ill-discipline and treasonable acts”.
“In the main, such inaction on the part of the party leadership breeds an indisputable culture of impunity, self-destruction and anarchy, which to all intents and purposes constitute a recipe for the demise of the African National Congress,” she said.
“This has a potential to destroy the ANC which prides itself as a disciplined force.
“Against this backdrop, I, as a member of National Executive Committee, National Working Committee, member of the ANC Women’s League, member of uMkhonto weSizwe and chairperson of the Social Transformation Committee hereby draw your attention to the phenomena described above and given currency and new urgency by Dr Tabane’s interview,” Sisulu said.
She said that the ANC has gone through such a cleansing process in the past, when people cross the line they must face consequences, simple.
“There can’t be double standards about that. After all, the ANC is bigger than all of us. But also, most importantly we cannot allow accusations of this nature to be left unattended, what if they are not true?” she said.
She said that to clean and renew the ANC from selfish and counterrevolutionary tendencies “remains our core mandate. I am therefore pleading with you to accord this matter with the necessary attention it deserves”.
Sisulu said that some sacred traditions, values and principles must be protected at all times.
“We have never had this situation in the democratic state. Now is the time to find solutions.
“The Policy Conference is near to be followed by the Elective Conference and as it were we need answers to these pertinent issues and these can be found on ANC policies. We are called upon to revisit these and ensure that the ANC stays united and fulfil the expectations of our people,” she said.