Tokyo Sexwale speaks at the launch of "The Life of a Legend" gold and silver coin series that the SA Mint has created to honour Nelson Mandela at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton Johannesburg; 4 March 2014. Picture Neil McCartney
Businessman and politician Tokyo Sexwale, 66, claimed in an interview on the FrankTalk show on Newzroom Afrika that money was used to influence ANC’s 2017 elective conference at Nasrec centre, Johannesburg, IOL reported.
The 66-year-old’s claims came after former KwaZulu-Natal legislature deputy speaker Meshack Radebe spoke on the matter during an interview with Independent Media in August 2019.
The elective conference eventually was won by President Cyril Ramaphosa defeating Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in the process.
Sexwale said money influenced the outcome, further claiming that then Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza used money to get delegates to support him.
“The whole conference was shocking because it was all about money.
“Politicians have a tons of money and some people arranged money from outside. An elective conference can be bought,” Sexwale said.
Sexwale added that the ANC’s current leadership was not united compared to the former party’s leaders who were in exile. He further alleged people were controlled by money sourced through government positions or from the private sector.
“We don’t understand our moral compass any more. Morally, ethically and politically we have let our people down. It’s all about money,” he said.
He said that former ANC president Oliver Tambo had almost equal privileges with other comrades during exile, where everyone suffered and were “bitten by mosquitoes and snakes” together.
Sexwale said when the liberation movements were unbanned and the ANC won the first democratic elections, certain comrades became the employers of others who started “sucking up”.
He said things changed when comrades started to own houses, cars and send their children to private schools and had access to private hospitals.
“The comrades are in charge of you because they pay you,” he said.
Radebe previously said after witnessing delegates being paid money in exchange of swaying their votes, he decided to quit government.
“In the hotel where I was staying (in Johannesburg) the cash was given out at the foyer. Delegates would come in buses to collect cash.
“One of the leaders who was giving out money is now a minister. Delegates were each counting R5,000, R3,000, R4,000. Others were complaining that the money they had received was not enough,” said Radebe.
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