UPDATE: Ramaphosa’s ANC NEC closing address significantly delayed

With a secretary-general facing corruption charges and slating top party leadership, this weekend’s ANC national executive committee (NEC) has been closely watched.

At the same time, the party’s former president Jacob Zuma, has consistently refused to appear before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture and is now possibly facing sanction by the Constitutional Court.

ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the Lekgotla’s closing address at approximately 6pm on Sunday afternoon.

UPDATE 9:35pm: The closing address has been delayed. There has not yet been official communication by the ANC on official social media channels. 

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The ANC integrity committee has already recommended that Magashule should step aside to respect a Nasrec conference decision that all members facing malfeasance should do so.

The NEC was also expected to discuss the committee’s terms of reference, local government elections, tertiary education funding and Covid-19 response.

This week, senior leaders launched a number of attacks against Magashule and the so-called radical economic transformation (RET) forces that are going against the party line.

These included Derek Hanekom, Joel Netshitenzhe and Enoch Godongwana.

Commenting this week on the ramifications of ANC factional battles, University of Johannesburg politics professor Siphamandla Zondi said: “Because the governing party is the central part of our democratic governance system, its cohesion and unity is very critical.

“When the governing party is not united, the centre of our democratic system is fractured.

“When there is also acrimony within the governing party, it weakens the cohesion of our system.

Background reporting by Brian Sokutu and Eric Naki.