Minister of Tourism and ANC presidential hopeful Lindiwe Sisulu has told President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya to butt out of the party’s internal politics.
Sisulu was responding to utterances made by Magwenya during a media briefing on Friday.
In that briefing, Magwenya was asked about comments made by Sisulu and deputy minister of Public Enterprises Phumulo Masualle who have both have called for Ramaphosa to step aside while investigations into the burglary at his Phala Phala game farm were ongoing. Masualle is running for the key position of secretary-general when the ruling party holds its elective conference next month.
Magwenya said the president “is not blind to the fact that we are in a period of contestation within the governing party.”
“There is an established decorum, there is an established manner of professional engagement between the president and members of his cabinet and any individual within that established decorum, that behaviour is more of a reflection on them than the president…the president has never publicly berated any of his Cabinet members – if he has any concerns about their performance, he will do so on a one-on-one basis,” he said.
Sisulu in a scathing statement lambasted Mangweya. “Minister Sisulu wants to put it on record that her criticism of President Ramaphosa is purely motivated by his poor performance as ANC. In fact, her criticism is not unique. Ramaphosa’s three predecessors have publicly expressed disappointment with his performance as president of the ANC and the country. Thus Minister Sisulu finds it strange that Magwenya, in his capacity as President Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, can parachute himself into a political party internal matter,” the statement reads in part.
Sisulu got off the starting blocks early in the race to be ANC president with an unprecedented attack on the judiciary in January. This paper reported then that Ramaphosa’s inner circle saw her attack on the judiciary and the country’s constitution as “daring the president to fire her” so she can have a platform to campaign on.
However, sources close to Ramaphosa said he is not going to dismiss her for fear of tearing the party asunder and will instead wait for her to simmer “until she can no longer handle it”.
Former spy boss Arthur Fraser in June threw a spanner in the works in the ANC leadership race when he reported a kidnapping and money laundering case against Ramaphosa, his then head of protection unit Wally Rhoode, and Crime Intelligence members for allegedly concealing and not officially reporting a burglary at the president’s farm in February 2020.
Sunday World last month reported that Rhoode, the demoted head of the presidential protection unit (PPU), has been slapped with a notice of suspension related to his role in the Phala Phala theft, during which it was alleged by former State Security Agency boss Arthur Fraser that $4-million (R61-million) was stolen at Ramaphosa’s farm in Limpopo.
Rhoode is facing three charges of serious misconduct, including that he failed to open a case after the break-in at the farm and instead decided to conduct an investigation himself.
The fear among those close to Rhoode is that the disciplinary charges he is facing read like the police top brass are preparing criminal charges (of defeating the ends of justice) against him.
In representations on why he should not be suspended, it is understood that Rhoode denied the allegations against him, saying his accusers wanted to compromise Ramaphosa’s security.
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