MASHUDU SADIKE
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in Limpopo is calling on the African National Congress (ANC) to suspend its Secretary General Ace Magashule.
This comes on the backdrop of revelations that Magashule along with former President Jacob Zama and former North West premier Supra Mahumapelo are trying to oust ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The revelations emerged after the trio met in a Durban hotel.
SACP Limpopo spokesperson Machike Thobejane said stern action must be taken against Magashule for his conduct.
“No action can able to adequately compensate for the embarrassment that the ANC and the alliance are suffering when leaders of our movement don’t behave as expected. Any member of the ANC, particularly leaders who do not tow the line, who go haywire in the organisation must be suspended,” he said.
“We can’t have a secretary of the alliance that has nocturnal meetings in the dark of Kwazulu Natal with a man that has embarrassed us. That behaviour boarders to undermining the alliance and If a person is holding office and is misbehaving then they must leave the office,” Thobejane said.
He warned that Magashule’s conduct was public knowledge since the so called Premier league days.
“We knew before congress in Nasrec. We knew it even around the congress. They were politically injured at congress. The way in which their misguided Premier League intentions were defeated we knew they would do everything they can just so that they could reverse the gains made by Nasrec,” he said.
The Premier League referred to Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s backers leading to the December conference that consisted of Magashule, Mahumapelo and now Deputy President David Mabuza.
He called on the ANC to show Magashule the door as he was bringing the organisation into disrepute.
“Suspension will not even be enough. We think ultimately he must be walked home,” he said.
He brushed off assertions that the SACP wanted to leave the Tripartite Alliance and contest next year’s elections independently.
“The SACP has never threatened or intended to leave the alliance. The alliance is cast in the blood of our people. We stand for the alliance for yesterday, today and tomorrow. Given that the leader of the alliance [Zuma at the time] and the ANC then was blinded by greed. The ideas were closed to bring any reasonable advice for the alliance. So even when we wanted to stay and strengthen the alliance we were saying then that we will do so independently standing for elections working with the forces of the left inclusive or exclusive of the ANC,” Thobejane said.
He also downplayed assertions from opposition parties that the ANC was deeply divided nationally and in the Province.
“There will be differences between leaders and members of a family but those differences are not at a point where they can open cracks in the organisation.
“We have seen comrades like Soviet Lekganyane are now in office and elected on ANC processes. We are saying that the ANC is an independent organisation and if branches have elected its leadership it’s our job to support those people elected and make sure that we play our role as the alliance,” Thobejane said.
