Build One South Africa (Bosa) leader Mmusi Maimane’s failed bid to chair Parliament’s revived Section 89 impeachment committee was preceded by behind-the-scenes lobbying of senior ANC figures, including ANC national chairperson and Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe.
Mantashe confirmed to Sunday World that Maimane had approached him but denied promising the Bosa leader support. The lobbying took place before the committee’s first meeting on Monday, when Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana was elected chairperson after being nominated by the ANC.
Gana defeated Dr Wonderboy Mahlatsi of the United Africans Transformation by 19 votes to 12.
Sunday World has established that Maimane pushed hard for the position and approached at least four senior ANC leaders in an attempt to secure backing.
Bosa insiders said the former DA leader was counting on Mantashe’s influence to sway the ANC caucus. Maimane believed his discussions with Mantashe had been positive and had been surprised when the ANC nominated Gana.
The committee was revived after the Constitutional Court directed Parliament to resume the Section 89 process linked to the Phala Phala matter, which concerns the theft of foreign currency from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm.
The stakes over the chairpersonship were high, with parties broadly agreeing that the presiding officer should not come from Ramaphosa’s party, the ANC.
However, parties differed on who among the opposition and smaller parties should get the position. The disagreement triggered behind-the-scenes negotiations that ended with the ANC and DA backing Gana, much to Maimane’s frustration.
Mantashe, one of the ANC’s most senior figures, said Maimane had approached him but insisted there had been no agreement to support him.
“The man was campaigning for himself; there was no agreement to support him,” Mantashe told Sunday World.
“Actually, I discovered that he went to four people in the ANC. I did not make a promise; I listened to his campaign because I am a nice person. I do not support any campaign that is not mine; I support my campaign. Ebezikhampeyinela shem (he was lobbying for himself). How does he say he will not support an ANC candidate and that I must support him?”
Sources close to Maimane said he felt the ANC had left him “high and dry” after he believed the party would support him. According to the sources, Maimane was irritated when his name did not arise at the Monday meeting. He voted with the progressive
caucus grouping led by the EFF and MK Party, which backed Mahlatsi.
The decision could carry political costs. ANC sources said senior party figures were considering whether Maimane should remain chairperson of the standing committee on appropriations. The ANC is said to be unhappy that Maimane voted against the position it supported, despite the party having backed his appointment as chairperson of that committee.
Luthuli House sources said the party had also taken exception to the remarks Maimane had made after his failed bid. They said some ANC leaders viewed his conduct as a breach of the understanding that helped him secure the appropriations post. But those close to Maimane defended him, saying it was the ANC that had “thrown him under the bus” after encouraging his belief that he would be considered. A Bosa source with direct knowledge of the horse-trading in Parliament said Maimane was left frustrated as the vote unfolded.
“The agreement Mmusi had with the ANC was that he would be the second option in case the ANC decided not to field its own candidate.”
“The pastor felt totally blindsided as Gana emerged the victor, and he felt that the decision to back Rise Mzansi was taken without clear communication from the ANC.”
“His view was that if the ANC was not going to support him, they should have told him before the meeting. He did not expect to arrive there and find that another smaller-party leader had already become the ANC’s preferred option,” the source said.
Mantashe rejected that version, saying the ANC had handled the process properly. He also dismissed claims that the party backed Gana only after realising that other parties would not support an ANC candidate.
“We did not have our own candidate. We went around engaging everyone to get a sense of how other parties feel, and we acted accordingly. That is how politics works, Mfondini,” said Mantashe. “That is why the ultimate victor, Gana, who became chairperson, was nominated by the ANC. We would not have nominated him if we wanted our own person.”
Maimane declined to comment.
- Mmusi Maimane, leader of Build One South Africa (Bosa), unsuccessfully sought to chair Parliament’s revived Section 89 impeachment committee.
- His failed bid followed behind-the-scenes lobbying efforts targeting senior African National Congress (ANC) figures.
- Among those lobbied was ANC national chairperson and Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe.
- The article implies internal political maneuvering within the ANC influenced the outcome.
- Full coverage is available through the Sunday World e-edition.
Build One
Gana defeated Dr
Bosa insiders said the former DA leader was counting on
However, parties differed on who among the opposition and smaller parties should get the position.
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“Actually, I discovered that he went to four people in the ANC. I did not make a promise; I ed to his campaign because I am a nice person. I do not support any campaign that is not mine; I support my campaign.
Sources close to Maimane said he felt the ANC had left him “high and dry” after he believed the party would support him.
caucus grouping led by the EFF and MK Party, which backed
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“His view was that if the ANC was not going to support him, they should have told him before the meeting. He did not expect to arrive there and find that another smaller-party leader had already become the ANC’s preferred option,” the source said.
“We did not have our own candidate. We went around engaging everyone to get a sense of how other parties feel, and we acted accordingly.
Maimane declined to comment.
