NTOMBI NKOSI and WILLEM PHUNGULA
Johannesburg - ANC NEC hopeful Tony Yengeni said the party needs a genuine leader, one who is not obsessed with money and buying delegates and branches.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the ANC 55th national elective conference, which is running way behind schedule in Nasrec, south of Johannesburg, this afternoon.
“The ANC needs leaders who are not full of themselves, leaders who are genuine champions of the aspirations of the people. We have seen so many leaders these days obsessed with money, and buying delegates and branches, and having US dollars under mattresses. That kind of behaviour is not acceptable, and we need better leaders than that,” said Yengeni.
@MYANC Tony Yengeni says the Party need leaders who are not full of themselves, leadership who are genuine champions aspirations of the people. He says he has seen leaders who are obsessed with money, buying delegates and putting USD under mattresses. Ntombi Nkosi @TheStar_news pic.twitter.com/ArVrdZrxvX
Ramaphosa is facing serious criminal charges in relation to Phala Phala Farmgate.
The Section 89 Independent Panel, chaired by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, was spot on when it discovered Ramaphosa was not telling the truth when he claimed that only $580 000 (about R9.5 million) was stolen.
According to information obtained by Falcons Investigations, at least $4 million was stolen at Phala Phala, which is significantly more than Ramaphosa stated to the Parliament-appointed panel.
When asked if he was making a referral to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala corruption, Yengeni said the issue is a public one, and as members of the ANC, they are not excited about it.
“We are not excited about Phala Phala as members of the ANC. It is a very bad reflection not only on the president but on the ANC itself,” Yengeni said.
Yengeni is not the only one making allegations about the buying of delegates.
On Friday, Independent Media reported that the conference kicked off with allegations of vote-buying by Ramaphosa’s lobbyists.
A delegate from the OR Tambo region in the Eastern Cape told Independent Media he was approached by a group led by two Cabinet ministers known to be aligned with the president, who offered him R20 000 in cash to vote for the president's slate.
The two ministers are known to Independent Media.
The delegate, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the group came to the registration centre and spoke to several delegates in the queue, but when they came to him with an offer, he refused.
The delegate, who stated that he supported Dr Zweli Mkhize, stated that the group even provided him with the line-up, which included the president, Ronald Lamola for the deputy president position, Fikile Mbalula and Febe Potgieter for the secretary general and deputy secretary general positions, respectively.
“There is a group here led by ministers (mentioning them by name), and we know they are key members of the CR22 cabal. They attempted to buy delegates for R20 000 each and attempted me as well, which I vehemently refused, as I care for a country more than monetary benefits,” said the delegate.
Furthermore, he said the group was de-campaigning Paul Mashatile and pushing Lamola to be elected to the deputy president’s position alongside the president.
During the media briefing earlier on Friday, ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe urged delegates to report vote-buying or other unbecoming behaviour to the conference steering committee. He urged the particular delegates to come forward and report those people who offered them bribes.
The Star