ANC must ‘eliminate candidates who are suspicious’

With a boost from a resounding victory in the race for leadership of the ANC, President Cyril Ramaphosa has committed himself to continuing his campaign against corruption within the party, saying it posed a “dire threat to the continued existence of our organisation”.

In his closing speech at the party’s elective conference at Nasrec yesterday, Ramaphosa acknowledged the ANC had “not done enough to end corruption, to reverse the effects of state capture and to deal with its corrosive effects on the ANC and institutions across society.”

Either deal with corruption or perish

After a bruising conference, in which the party’s radical economic transformation faction lobbied intensively to have its candidate, Zweli Mkhize, elected in place of Ramaphosa, the president said bluntly: “We know these actions may be met with opposition and that they may increase discord within our structures.

“But, as this conference has recognised, we have no choice – we either deal with corruption or we perish.”

Ramaphosa’s strong anticorruption approach has made him unpopular within the ruling party after senior members were caught with their hand in the till. Some have been charged and others are yet to be charged.

ALSO READ: ANC55: Mantashe says he was asked for R100k in exchange for votes

He became enemies with former ANC president Jacob Zuma and former party secretary-general Ace Magashule, among others, after they were slapped with numerous charges relating to graft.

Mkhize, his former health minister, adopted a hostile attitude towards the president after Digital Vibes allegations involving him emerged and he was forced out of Cabinet.

The conference said, according to Ramaphosa, that government should consider the establishment of a vibrant and independent anti-corruption agency as a structure to address issues of corruption across the country.

ANC must clean itself

Earlier in the day, former National Union of Mineworkers general secretary Frans Baleni – who was in the union with Ramaphosa in the ’80s and early ’90s and who is still a close friend – told Radio 702 that Ramaphosa wanted his legacy to be one of cleaning up the ANC.

“He is now the sheriff in town, there’s a need to clean up Cabinet and focus on people who can deliver on the work he has started. The ANC must show voters it is cleaning itself, it has eliminated the candidates who are suspicious or who have found themselves on the wrong side of the law.”

While some progress has been made in tackling the scourge within the party ranks and the state over the five years of his term in office, it has not been not enough.

VIDEO: ‘Our unity was tested,’ says Ramaphosa as ANC conference adjourns

The conference closed without finishing its business.

Well-informed ANC sources said the party feared a high accommodation bill from hotels where many delegates stayed.

“The ANC had to do that because it ran the risk of over-running its budget if delegates stayed over last night. Because accommodation is booked until today, if you keep delegates here, they won’t have food or place to sleep tonight. The decision is based on logistics,” the source said yesterday.

Another ANC member who asked to remain anonymous said the conference could not continue as many delegates left early because they could not return to their hotels.

“KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape had to leave because they are far,” he said.

The ANC has been in dire financial straits for the last few years which has seen its staff salaries not paid for months and the party cutting back on expenses.

Many delegates from KZN left on Monday as soon as they realised their slate did not win.

Most of the Mkhize slate members, such as Stan Mathabatha (national chair), Phumulo Masualle (deputy president) and Pule Mabe (treasurer-general) lost, leaving Paul Mashatile (deputy president) and Nomvula Mokonyane (first deputy secretary-general) as the only two in the top seven.

NOW READ: After re-election, Ramphosa’s leadership in ‘shakier ground’