Cape Town - The ANC is being short-sighted with its instruction barring all members from commenting publicly on former president Thabo Mbeki’s letter criticising the party’s handling of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala saga.
The decision communicated by secretary-general Fikile Mbalula’s office borders on censorship and dictatorship. It proves once again that the ANC has learnt little, if anything, from the Jacob Zuma Nkandla scandal.
In fact, that is among the concerns Mbeki raises in his 17-page letter, that many people will entertain the suspicion that the Phala Phala matter includes corruption.
“In that sense this is no different from the ‘Nkandla matter’ which, once again, many among our people suspected involved corrupt practices.
History had made the firm and unequivocal statement that we should never have acted as we did for a long time – to support Comrade JZ from doing what he ultimately agreed was the right thing to do, ie, to honour the remedial action by the public protector,” wrote Mbeki.
Instead of using Mbeki’s critique to empower party members to debate and air their views openly about the impact Phala Phala will have on the party’s ambitions to remain in government, the ANC found it regrettable that the letter addressed to Ramaphosa’s deputy, Paul Mashatile, ended up in the public domain through a “leak”.
“There will be a temptation by some within our ranks to seek to respond to the contents of the letter.
We call upon all members, leaders, rank and file to exercise restraint and allow national officials and the NEC to engage with the contents of the letter,” said the party.
By seeking to keep the national debate within the ANC, the party is attempting to control the narrative.
By now, South Africans know nothing tangible will come out of the discussions. If there is nothing to hide, why not allow members to freely express themselves?
Barring members from publicly discussing the Phala Phala saga will not make it easily go away.
The more the ANC refuses to take a position on it, the more it digs itself and its president a deep hole.
Does the ANC believe it will retain power when its president has a dark cloud hanging over him?
With next year’s elections months away, the scandal may be a final blow to the ANC.
Cape Times
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