Ramaphosa’s warning shot was aimed at Zuma and other turncoats within ANC

The ANC’s 112th anniversary celebrations in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, on Saturday saw party president Cyril Ramaphosa throwing down the gauntlet at ANC members while delivering the party’s January 8th Statement.

Directly in the firing line was former president Jacob Zuma, who has been campaigning vigorously on behalf of the newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party after stating he would not vote for an ANC led by Ramaphosa in this year’s elections.

The statement outlines the party’s priorities for the year.

According to Ramaphosa, there were “anti-transformation tactics present to ensure the ANC was locked up in internal struggles which would weaken and destroy it from within”.

“They actively encourage rebel breakaway groupings to erode the support base of the ANC,” he said.

“Often these start as factional conflicts within the ANC, but when the movement pushes ahead with its renewal, they mutate into opposition parties that are as opposed to the ANC as the right-wing opponents of transformation.

“As renewal gains momentum, those whose conduct is in conflict with our values and principles – the criminals, the corrupt, the careerists and factionalists, and those who actively work against the organisation – will find themselves outside the ANC,” he said.

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Political analyst Goodenough Mashego said some of Ramaphosa’s remarks were aimed at Zuma and those who were currently members of the party.

“He was speaking to Zuma, who is still inside the ANC because he has not relinquished his membership,” he said. “Ramaphosa is also firing a warning shot to those that might go and join Zuma in the new party.”

Mashego said Zuma had targeted Mpumalanga because he wanted to steal the ANC’s thunder following a national executive committee meeting last weekend. Mpumalanga had four homelands – KaNgwane, Gazankulu, KwaNdebele and part of Lebowa.

“If you look at how homelands function, they function on people who are deployed as public servants, working for those homelands,” he said. “In Mpumalanga, you are going to have a large group of those people benefitting from the Bantustan and homeland systems.

“Some have joined the ANC. Those are people who flipflopped. They joined the ANC when the ANC came into power.

“Zuma, knowing how people act, knows those people who left the homeland parties to join the ANC are easy to [manipulate into joining] another party. They’re easy to join MK party.”

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Mashego said this was why Ramaphosa had to make such hard remarks in Mpumalanga, because he was aware that among the people at the stadium – some even in leadership positions of the ANC – were anticipating joining the MK party if it looked like it would be strong.

“For them, it’s jumping from power to power, and it’s not about principle but about being in power,” he said.

Mashego said Zuma was aware there were those who would not leave the ANC, who would remain deployed and benefit from the patronage, but would still consider voting for the MK.

“The nature of the MK party is that you don’t really need to resign from the ANC. You can remain in the ANC but vote for the MK.”

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The message was, if a person was found to be siding with MK, they would be expelled from the ANC.

“He was firing a shot to those inside because there’s little the ANC will do to Zuma. They will let him remain in MK party and also be in ANC but they want to threaten those that might think of jumping ship.

“Jacob Zuma’s next stop might actually be Limpopo.”

Ramaphosa added the plotting against the ANC would not get anyone anywhere and the party’s supporters should aim for an outright win.

“When they look at us, they say the ANC is finished … they say we are going to get less than 50%; some are even saying we are going to get 30%.

“This is being said by people who don’t know the ANC,” he said.