Fear and paranoia have gripped the ANC, with just days to go before the governing party opens the process for its branches to nominate leaders in the run up to the party’s elective conference in December.
Sunday World understands that knives are out for Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele as some leaders in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s inner circle believe that the State Security Agency (SSA) is being used to fight political battles.
Though there has been no evidence produced that the SSA and/or Gungubele are investigating several senior ANC leaders, there are suspicions that spooks are tailing some of them.
Sunday World has it on good authority that mistrust has engulfed those close to the president, with some accusing Gungubele of not having done a good job in turning around the SSA, which was previously used to fight political battles, especially under Jacob Zuma’s presidency.
“There are serious concerns with how Mondli is handling SSA. It is clear that he is not from the security environment,” said one of the president’s confidantes, who cannot be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media.
A national executive committee (NEC) member who serves in Ramaphosa’s executive said they believe they are being followed by SSA and know of other members of the executive who are under its radar. “I have been investigated three times by SSA,” the leader said.
But it appears that as the party approaches its 55th national conference, paranoia reminiscent of the run up to the previous conference is the order of the day. There also appears to be a scramble for the ear of the president.
Another security source close to Ramaphosa said Gungubele is being targeted because of his efforts to clean up the SSA. “He is doing a good job. He is breaking down structures of state capture,” the source said.
Asked if he is aware there are leaders close to Ramaphosa who think that he is not doing a good job on matters of SSA, Gungubele said he is focused on his job.
“I know in politics there is that thing of wanting to be next to the president where he is drinking coffee. I respect the president; I don’t have to stand at the door of his office when I don’t have issues to discuss with him. When I meet the president, it is about work,” said Gungubele.
Gungubele said he does not compromise on issues of corruption. “Besides, I am not operational. I know my job as a leader is not to descend into the arena of operations,” he said.
This comes as the ANC opens nominations for the election of its top six leaders, national working committee and NEC from Wednesday.
Candidates for the positions continued the campaign trail at the weekend.
NEC member Mmamoloko Kubayi, who publicly launched her campaign to be ANC deputy president recently, told a gala dinner of the ANC Gert Sibande region in Mpumalanga that a leadership that emerges in December should understand the importance of renewal.
“We need to reaffirm that ours is an organisation that is founded on the principles of non-racialism and non-sexism. Let us also bear in mind that the current economic challenges of rising unemployment, falling investment, and stagnating growth are making life very difficult for millions of people in South Africa and that the ANC must respond with effective economic policies to turn the situation around,” she said.
Sunday World understands that leaders of provinces were meeting to exchange notes on their leadership preferences.
It has emerged that former provincial secretary of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal Mdumiseni Ntuli is being punted by some branches in the province for a position at Luthuli House.
Some senior leaders in the province said there seems to be a co-ordinated effort to frustrate the former secretary.
It has come to light that the new KZN leadership is likely to support anyone backed by Zuma, whom the ANC provincial executive committee visited this week in his homestead in Kwadakudunuse, Nkandla, to seek his counsel.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has emerged as a candidate that KZN may support to challenge Ramaphosa, who is seeking re-election. It is also not clear whether former health minister Zweli Mkhize will stand against Ramaphosa after reports that he might be pursued for his role in the corruption surrounding the
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