Alleged plot to destroy ATM exposed through secret recording – report

The head of the African National Congress’ (ANC) election campaign ahead of this year’s national polls, Fikile Mbalula allegedly arranged funds to pay members of the African Transformation Movement (ATM) to destabilise the party internally.

This was reportedly revealed through a secret recording which lays bare a plan well put together allegedly by senior members of the governing party to destroy ATM ahead of this year’s elections.

The Sunday Independent reports that in the recording activists of the ATM are heard talking about their meetings with Mbalula.

It was reported that the members are also allegedly heard talking about the R40 000 they would each be paid for destroying the party from within as it was reportedly viewed as a threat to the governing ANC.

The three-hour recordings reportedly reveal that leaders of the ANC allegedly foot the bill for hotel accommodations for ATM moles.

It was reported that the recordings also indicate that the governing party funded an alleged sham conference of the South African Council of Messianic Churches (SACMC) which was reportedly held in Cape Town on April 16 to 17.

It was further reported that at this bogus conference a resolution to deregister ATM and for the party to be prevented from running for the elections was taken.

It was later publicly stated that ATM would be disbanded and removed from the ballot paper, which reportedly created confusion among members of the party.

The SACMC’s statement was quoted as saying that at the conference it dealt with the fact that it had been fraudulently hijacked and given the name ATM without the mandate of its council.

A member of the ATM who is alleged to have worked with the ANC reportedly claimed that 400 hotel rooms were booked by the governing party for delegates attending the sham conference.

It was reported that the ATM member is heard in the secret recording talking about how money was to be paid for those willing to destroy the newly formed party and that some received payments of R40 000 each for taking part in the plot.

ANC leaders involved in the plot are reportedly named in the recording.

Responding to the Sunday Independent, Mbalula dismissed the allegations as “hogwash” which “can’t b dignified with a comment”.

The minister of transport was quoted as questioning where the governing party would get the money to fund such a plot.

It was reported that Mbalula said that a person from the Western Cape was allegedly attempting to entrap him “with all sorts of misdemeanours”.

President of the ATM Vuyolwethu Zungula reportedly accused ANC and state President Cyril Ramaphosa and the governing party’s chair Gwede Mantashe of allegedly collaborating to destroy the party he leads.

The ATM recently served its former secretary-general Buyisile Ngqulwana with a letter demanding that he pay the party R22 million it allegedly lost following claims that former president Jacob Zuma and ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule had assisted in the formation of the party.

The party said it would have won more seats in parliament had Ngqulwana not made the allegations.

Zungula reportedly claimed that things went amiss in April when Ngqulwana allegedly asked to meet with Ramaphosa and Mantashe, a meeting which was followed by a press briefing where the former secretary general of the ATM distanced himself from the party, claiming it was created by Zuma and Magashule.

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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