ANC whistleblower advocate Winston Erasmus has raised the stakes after the party’s backlash, pointing to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s possible violation of electoral laws.
Writing to ANC Western Cape secretary Neville Delport, Erasmus details how the “special operations” project infiltrated the electoral commission to gather data on the African Transformation Movement (ATM).
Erasmus has alleged that Ramaphosa sanctioned the operation to sabotage ATM’s electoral prospects, saying Ramaphosa’s special operations unit was behind the legal objection to ATM’s registration as a political party.
The covert operation was based on suspicions that ATM was linked to former president Jacob Zuma and former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule.
It was alleged that both Zuma and Magashule plotted to use smaller parties to divide the ANC’s voter base during the 2019 general elections.
On Monday, the ANC said Erasmus made delusional and malicious claims.
Erasmus, a former ANC researcher, said he alerted the ANC’s provincial executive committee to the private clandestine operation’s activities because they could damage the ruling party.
“This special operation is becoming a topic of public interest, and that it may be deemed as an election’s prohibited conduct,” he said.
He said the law prohibited anyone from “generally abusing a position of power, privilege, or influence to influence the outcome of an election”.
He confirmed that he sent parliament a reconsideration application regarding Richard Dyantyi’s chairpersonship of the inquiry into suspended public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s competence.
He said Dyantyi concealed that he worked for Ramaphosa, who suspended Mkhwebane, as campaign manager in the 2017 ANC presidential race and the 2019 elections.
He said it was a miscarriage of justice that Dyantyi concealed these facts through his continuous refusal to recuse himself from the committee, adding that he made the protected disclosure as an officer of the court and someone who had a duty to the judiciary and the constitution.
“My affidavit spares no punches and may be seen as controversial within certain sectors of our movement.”
Erasmus said the section of his affidavit that received the most media coverage was the Special Operation, which was a war-room activity.
He warned the provincial executive of the project’s potential harm.
“It was a covert operation which was done under the banner of the ANC special operations unit or committee.
“I can now determine that it was a factional project aimed at weakening the secretary-general at the time, Ace Magashule,” he said.
He said Ramaphosa met with the ATM breakaway group of individuals, namely Buyisile Ngqulwana, in Eastern Cape, noting that he was tasked with interviewing the group and determining if there was a case against the ATM.
“After a few hours consulting with them, I crafted a strategy which would destabilize and destroy ATM during the elections.”
Erasmus said he was sent to the Independent Electoral Commission head office to infiltrate the organisation and extract ATM’s registration documents.
“I successfully achieved this special operations assignment,” he said.
Thereafter, he continued, the covert team engaged attorneys.
“It was my task again to take the attorneys through our mission and object to ATM’s registration. This was entirely our operation, and Ngqulwana was only a conduit.”
Among those he mentioned as participants in the clandestine intelligence operation were ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and Sports Minister Zizi Kodwa. Kodwa allegedly briefed Dyantyi.
“This factional special operations project will damage the ANC as it will be seen as undemocratic in the coming days.
“I will continue to advocate for the removal of Dyantyi, which seeks to fire a vulnerable member of the legal fraternity, advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane.
“She is an African female, which is the most vulnerable group and under-represented in the legal fraternity dominated by white males,” he said.
He said it was a crime against democracy to see Dyantyi chairing the hearing, adding that Dayntyi had prejudged the outcome of Mkhwebane’s case based on his roles, functions, and allegiances to Ramaphosa.
Last week, parliament’s joint committee on ethics and members’ interests failed to respond to questions even after requesting a deadline extension.
Dyantyi reserved the right to deal with the protected disclosure contents at a later stage and on a suitable platform.
Mbalula and Kodwa did not respond to questions, while the Presidency dismissed the allegations as wild.
This is a developing story and further comments will be added later …
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