Cape Town - President Cyril Ramaphosa’s close ally and ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe has once again warned ANC MPs to either toe the party line or face having their membership terminated when voting on whether to adopt the damning Section 89 report into the Farmgate scandal.
His comments in Dunoon on Monday came as the National Assembly was bracing to debate the scathing report on Tuesday, which found that Ramaphosa has a case to answer.
If the ANC has its way, Ramaphosa will escape being hauled before an impeachment committee, where he could have been afforded a chance to clear his name.
However some MPs have openly said they would vote for the report to be adopted, which has caused divisions within the ANC.
Mantashe, who was implicated in state capture-linked company Bosasa, has repeatedly warned MPs of the severe consequences of defying the party’s instruction.
Speaking to the media during his Cadres Forum in Dunoon on Monday, he said: “When there is someone from the ANC who is anti the position of the ANC, then you should know that you are no longer a member of the party. In the ANC there is something that we do well; we talk and discuss our issues. Now if you don’t agree with that decision and you want to have your own thinking....
One of the things that I read from that is that you are now tired of being a member of the ANC,” he said.
In its report, the panel concluded that the information placed before it disclosed, prima facie, that Ramaphosa may have committed a serious violation of the law and the Constitution.
Mantashe said the panel had not found Ramaphosa guilty. Ramaphosa has since lodged a challenge against the report in the Constitutional Court.
Opposition parties have called on National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to oppose the review application.
Mapisa-Nqakula previously stated that Parliament could not be stifled by another organ of state.
“The reality of the matter is we must allow the processes to follow and allow people to test the law to the extreme.
The panel has not found anybody guilty, that's why they say on the last page of the report, ‘may have’,” said Mantashe.
Opposition parties have accused the ANC of using “overwhelming intimidation” against its own MPs.
The ATM and UDM had written to Parliament Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to insist on a secret ballot on Tuesday so that ANC MPs can vote with their conscience and not with the threat of expulsion hovering over their heads.
Mapisa-Nqakula declined the requests on Monday night, saying she does not believe that the atmosphere is so generally toxified or so highly charged that MPs would be prevented from exercising their vote on this question in accordance with their conscience using an open voting procedure.
She also noted concerns about potential “vote buying”, and it was her view that this could be facilitated by a cloud of secrecy.
ATM leader Vuyo Zungula, in a letter to Mapisa-Nqakula in which he made the secret ballot request for the second time, said that Mantashe had issued “an unlawful and spine-chilling threat” of expulsion to member. He said on Monday the intimidation of MPs was a threat to democracy.
“What they are doing spits in the face of the Constitution as MPs must be faithful to the Republic over their duty to party. Mantashe is saying that any ANC MP who exercises oversight, which is their duty, faces expulsion. This is a threat to the independence of MPs.”
Zungula said a secret ballot was essential as ANC MPs would find it hard to go against the party decision.
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa described Mantashe’s comments as “intimidation, occasioned by arrogance of power and abuse of the systems of government”.
“They control the Speaker, who will not grant the secret ballot,” said Holomisa.
“Those ANC MPs have a strong case because the national chairperson has said he will expel them if they vote for the impeachment process to continue.
The Constitutional Court must protect them.”
IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa said he was surprised as he thought the ANC would not be fearful of the process if they were guided by their consciences.
“To intimidate MPs ahead of a vote in Parliament is a disgrace.”
The ANC Parliamentary caucus held its meeting on Monday where marching orders were to be given to the MPs by Luthuli House.
Director at the School of Public Leadership at the Stellenbosch University, Dr Zwelinzima Ndevu said the party’s cracks would show at the upcoming ANC 55th elective conference.
“The conference will be robust with discussion on the leadership...everyone is looking to see who is going to win the race. I am expecting that we will (have) an eventful week with trade-offs being the order of the day. Anything could still happen.”
Cape Times