The leadership of the ANC can not avoid the Phala Phala farmgate matter any longer, says former president Thabo Mbeki, who has called out President Cyril Ramaphosa for his failure to stop corruption and elect ethical leaders.
THE LEADERSHIP of the ANC can not avoid the Phala Phala farmgate matter any longer.
These are the words of former president Thabo Mbeki, who on Saturday called out President Cyril Ramaphosa for his failure to stop corruption and elect ethical leaders in his ranks.
Mbeki was speaking during an address at the annual general meeting of the Strategic Dialogue Group.
With the work of the section 89 inquiry to determine the existence of prima facie evidence against Ramaphosa on the theft at his farm having begun last Wednesday, Mbeki reminded the ruling party that it did not enjoy the luxury of sweeping this matter under the carpet.
Last month, National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula appointed a three-member panel led by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, alongside retired Judge Thokozile Masipa and advocate Mahlape Sello.
The three are set to investigate wrongdoing on the part of the president after he admitted to having engaged in the sale of game at his farm and having failed to report the theft of millions of dollars in foreign currency which were stashed in mattresses at his farm.
Having failed to report this matter to law enforcement authorities, it is reported that Ramaphosa instructed his head of security, Wally Rhoode, to investigate the matter and subsequently used state resources to track down the thieves, who had escaped to Namibia.
Mbeki said there remains a possibility that Ramaphosa could be found guilty by the panel in just under 30 days, as the panel was given 30 days to finalise its report into the matter, which will form the basis for Ramaphosa’s impeachment process.
“What if the panel finds that the president has an impeachable case to answer? Comrades, know that the panel has been given 30 days to do that, which means 30 days will be sometime in the month of November. What happens if the panel says you have a case to answer? ” Mbeki said.
He said even if the panel was found to have erred in its findings, the situation could still make things difficult for the party.
“Even if the panel is not correct, but if you put the notion there because these are senior lawyers … the leadership of the ANC cannot avoid meeting to discuss the question of the Phala Phala matter in light of what we do. Do we sit with a president who needs to step down, or do we say no and let it go through the courts or the parliamentary processes? I am saying comrades, what kind of leadership can come out of that?” he said.
Ahead of the 55th ANC elective conference in December, the former president of the ANC said the party needs to decide what calibre of leaders it wants to represent, adding that the renewal of the party would be flawed if it continued to elect compromised members into positions of power.
“It is expected that out of the conference, decisions must be made on the leadership. It is hoped that these leaders must lead the country out of a perceptual declining economy. This economy has been declining for a number of years. Numbers of unemployment have increased, and poverty has been increasing. Lots of skilled people are emigrating and doing all sorts of things. Over these years, we have not communicated a type of leadership that can lead us out of all this.“
He said the party could not succeed in its renewal programme with corrupt leaders. “When you talk about the renewal of the ANC, you are carrying too much baggage of the wrong people. You have to have courage to face the fact that you have a renewed ANC led by criminals.“
On the seriousness of the charges against Ramaphosa in the Phala Phala matter, Mbeki said they were very serious, adding that Ramaphosa was under pressure to answer for himself.
“Our president is under a lot of pressure. I am talking about Cyril Ramaphosa and this matter of Phala Phala. There are criminal investigations going on. Parliament has its own processes. The Reserve Bank has done what it has to do. What relevance does that all have to the leadership of the ANC that will come out of this conference in Nasrec at the end of this year? “
