Pretoria - President Cyril Ramaphosa’s “false promises” to the ANC in Limpopo will have devastating results for his bid to be elected for a second term ahead of the party’s 55th national elective conference to be held at Nasrec, Joburg, in December.
This is according to assertions by political role players and sources within Ramaphosa’s faction that he did not support VBS accused and former Limpopo provincial treasurer Danny Msiza in his ambitions to become secretary at the provincial elective conference in June.
Msiza was charged by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for his role in the alleged looting of the now-defunct VBS Mutual Bank in the Vhembe district of Limpopo during 2018.
Msiza, who stepped aside from any ANC duties following the charges, is believed to have funded the cash-strapped party at its 110th January 8 anniversary in Polokwane this year.
He was forced to vacate office as provincial treasurer after he was charged and stepped aside from the party’s everyday work.
Msiza is seen as a a powerful role player who makes decisions within the party in the province.
Ramaphosa, who allegedly promised Msiza that he would “look the other way” regarding his charges in return for his support, has apparently not delivered on his promise.
The Limpopo ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) is looking to install premier and party chairperson Stan Mathabatha as national chairperson to replace incumbent Gwede Mantashe.
Mathabatha is a staunch Ramaphosa ally, but his province is at loggerheads with the ANC leader over the step-aside policy and the treatment of the popular but embattled Msiza.
Ramaphosa is facing a challenge for the ANC’s top job from several hopefuls, including national executive committee (NEC) members Lindiwe Sisulu, Zweli Mkhize and Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
Limpopo has the third-largest delegation going to the national elective conference after KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
Both Limpopo and the KZN lost their bid to scrap the step-aside rule at the party’s policy conference in Nasrec earlier this year.
According to sources, Ramaphosa has changed towards them after his slate meeting at the weekend endorsed Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe.
An insider within the ANC in Limpopo said branches in the party were not going to elect Ramaphosa as the PEC pronounced.
“We are not going to vote for Cyril.
“This man (Ramaphosa) does not want us. He is now saying that he prefers Gwede (Mantashe) instead of us.
“He has lied to us. We are going to vote for Zweli Mkhize and that’s it!
“He does not support our views.
“This is still underground, but this is not going to happen.
“We are looking at options.”
The source said the province would ultimately decide to elect former health minister Zweli Mkhize as ANC president instead of Ramaphosa.
Another party insider, who is a government official close to Ramaphosa in Limpopo, mirrored those views, saying all those within the PEC were allegedly tainted by corruption and so couldn’t afford to have Ramaphosa come back.
“Many comrades are scared of Cyril because on paper he can arrest them.
“Going to the conference, they are not going to vote for him. Most of them are (allegedly) corrupt and need a break from him.
“So this pronouncement that he be elected by Limpopo won’t happen.
“Remember Zweli (Mkhize) and Danny (Msiza) were close … so they are in solidarity.”
He was referring to a time when Mkhize was treasurer-general of the party while Msiza was the party’s Limpopo treasurer in 2018.
Speaking to Independent Media yesterday, political analyst and Mpumalanga University public administration and politics lecturer Dr John Molepo said that any ANC PEC in the country, except for the KZN PEC, was “scared of denouncing” Ramaphosa.
“He (Ramaphosa) has the power of state apparatus.
“For now, people are playing safe.
“However, Cyril has a problem towards December because he does not have foot soldiers who can work on the ground,” said Molepo.
Pretoria News