President Cyril Ramaphosa’s allies are pushing for the expulsion of ANC MPs who plan to vote against the party line on the section 89 independent panel of experts’ report that found the head of state may have violated the constitution in his handling of the theft of foreign currency at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo.
ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe yesterday did not mince his words in an interview with this newspaper and warned that those who failed to toe the party line to reject the establishment of an impeachment inquiry should leave and become independent candidates.
“Ask Makhosi Khoza what happens when you defy the ANC. She had to leave. If you defy the ANC, you will have to leave because it means you don’t have respect for the organisation, you are an individual. Conscience is ok, but we have a political system.
“Every MP is a member of a political party. Why is this conscience applying to the ANC only? People who want to be independents, and don’t want party discipline, must go and contest as independents,” he said.
Drama is expected on Tuesday when the National Assembly debates and subsequently votes on the report, which Ramaphosa is seeking to set aside at the Constitutional Court.
The damning report, which was produced by the panel led by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, has become a proxy in the ferocious battle for the soul of the ANC in the run up to the party’s elective conference, starting on Friday in Nasrec, south of Johannesburg.
Last week, the party’s national executive committee – which is the highest-decision making body between conferences – resolved to support Ramaphosa’s legal bid to set aside the report.
The NEC instructed its members of caucus in parliament to vote against the adoption of the independent panel report. However, a group of ANC MPs plans to openly defy the party and publicly vote with the opposition parties on the adoption of the report, which, if endorsed, will set in motion the process to impeach Ramaphosa.
A senior MP close to Ramaphosa said strong action would be taken against any ANC MP who goes against the NEC decision to vote against the adoption of the report. “If they defy, we are going to charge them before the conference. No sane member of the ANC will vote with the opposition. Voting with the opposition carries the punishment of expulsion in terms of the ANC constitution.”
Another MP who is a chairperson of one of the portfolio committees in parliament told Sunday World he was a deployee of the ANC and was, therefore, enjoined by the party’s decisions.
“I’m not in parliament because of my consciousness, I’m representing the ANC. This is not at local level where you have independent candidates. There is a decision-making body which has already given guidance (NEC),” he said.
The divisions in the ANC caucus over the Phala Phala saga mirror those during the days of the Nkandla matter involving former president Jacob Zuma. Sunday World has reliably been told that over 30 MPs opposed to Ramaphosa are plan to vote with the opposition. In 2017, it was estimated that between 30-40 MPs voted with the opposition in a motion of no confidence in Zuma. They included former tourism minister Derek Hanekom, Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, Public Enterprise Minister Pravin Gordhan and then ANC MP Makhosi Khoza, who had openly declared they would vote with their “conscience”.
Dissenting ANC MPs seemed unfazed by the possibility of being expelled.
Lawrence McDonald said there was a constitutional court decision in the Nkandla matter that MPs should vote with their conscience as public representatives. “It is quite disturbing that the ANC is making this a political matter. This is a parliamentary matter. It is not a process of removing the president, but getting information,” he said. “I know they are going to come for us. How can you be expelled for doing your work?”
Mervyn Dirks said he could not obey an “unethical instruction from the ANC. I am not voting with the opposition or for an opposition motion against the president, unlike what Hanekom, Mondli, Pravin and others did. This report is a product of a parliamentary process led by the ANC majority. As the ANC we cannot now subvert our own parliamentary processes because the report is not what we wanted. We need moral and ethical leadership.”
It is understood presidential hopeful Lindiwe Sisulu is set to vote for the report’s adoption.
Sisulu’s adviser, Mphumzi Mdekazi, said although he did not know how the minister was going to vote, a dangerous precedent had been set. “History is teaching us that Hanekom voted with the EFF to remove a sitting president. Were there consequences?”
“Minister Sisulu is aligned with Zweli Mkhize. This matter is being handled in a mafia style. People who are dissenting are being muzzled,” he said.
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