ANC defends co-option of Koornhof into the NEC
THE ANC has defended its decision to appoint former National Party member Dr Gerhardus Willem Koornhof as one of four new members to its national executive committee (NEC).
The party also dismissed Sunday World claims that it had come under fire for co-opting Koornhof as an additional member of the party’s highest decision-making body.
Koornhof served as President Cyril Ramaphosa’s parliamentary counsellor in the fifth Parliament from 2014 to 2019. He has also been seen at many ANC events and served as an ANC caucus member in Parliament.
Koornhof is not the only one recently added to the NEC list. Others who have been given a spot were Mapaseka “Steve” Letsike, Fawzia Peer and Alvin Botes.
However, Koornhof’s inclusion stands out due to his close association with the National Party and being the son of apartheid-era cabinet minister Piet Koornhof, who served under John Vorster and PW Botha.
ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri denied there had been an outcry over Koornhof, saying it was to best give a balance to the character of South African society.
“The ANC has not received any objections from its structures about any of the co-opted comrades.
“This co-option is in further strengthening the NEC, in line with rule 12.3.7 of the ANC constitution, which provides that the NEC shall be constituted by, among others, ‘not more than five additional members that the NEC may co-opt during its term of office to provide for balanced representation that reflects the true character of the South African people’,” Bhengu-Motsiri told The Star.
Former ANC member Carl Niehaus rejected Koornhof’s inclusion, saying it was a sign of the ANC’s continued degeneration under Ramaphosa.
“It is outrageous. Koornhof has been brought in to destabilise the ANC. It is the same way the ANC co-opted the leaders of the New National Party into the party, and this is another extension of the same project. You can’t have someone like Koornhof in the ANC.
“This is a clear indication of how far the ANC of Ramaphosa has lost the plot. It is sneaky and (outrageous) to have someone who is opposed to the empowerment of our people being made part of the ANC,” Niehaus said.
Former EFF MP Fana Mokoena said Koornhof could be the next minister of electricity to ensure that he finishes the selling off of Eskom.
“Piet Koornhof’s offspring will likely be Ramaphosa’s minister of electricity or replace that useless Pravin, who is not yielding results fast enough for Stellenbosch. They have now sent a more trusted soldier to complete the Eskom project,” Mokeona said.
Political analyst John Molepo said: “It was inevitable to co-opt anyone from a group to balance the question of diversity/inclusiveness as the ANC is a ‘broad church’. It also needs a portion from the Afrikaner community