Johannesburg – The Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Zizi Kodwa, said he expected the step-aside rule to be one of the issues to play out at the 55th national conference of the ANC in Soweto.
The step-aside rule has been a dividing factor among ANC members who feel that the rule has been applied differently to different people. Some felt that the step-aside rule was fashioned to deal with political enemies of the Ramaphosa faction.
One of the most visible victims of the step-aside rule was suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, but some of President Cyril Ramaphosa's opponents escaped the rule's wrath because of inconsistencies in its application.
The ANC was expected to deliver its organisational and political reports during the conference.
“The step-aside, when it was adopted five years ago on these grounds it was in the context of renewing the ANC. Appreciating that there are new phenomena that can be attributed to the decline in the electoral numbers, among others, issues of corruption, issues of ethics, issues of gatekeeping, and the fact that the ANC has been infiltrated by people who do not inspire communities,” Kodwa said.
Kodwa said provinces were not completely against the step-aside rule; rather, they wanted the rule to be applied fairly. Provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal publicly stated that they wanted the rule repealed.
Kodwa said the step-aside rule was part of the renewal project in the ANC.
“One of the guidelines the NEC adopted was that people who are criminally charged with serious offences — the view from the province is that we should also extend it to people who are facing serious allegations,” Kodwa said.
On the other hand, Kodwa advocated for a strong stand against ANC parliamentarians who did not toe the party line. He said these members were deployed in Parliament to represent ANC interests and, therefore, should carry out party mandates.
On Friday morning, the country woke to the news that former president Jacob Zuma was pursuing a private prosecution against Ramaphosa. Some took advantage of the move and called for Ramaphosa to step down.
The Star