Magashule the de facto leader of Zuma’s camp

A NC secretary-general Ace Magashule paraded in the streets of Bloemfontein on Friday with a powerhouse “guard of honour” of his chanting supporters and uMkhonto we Sizwe veterans – an emphatic statement he is now the boss of the Zuma faction within the ANC.

He acted like a statesman or a hero as he appeared in a car sunroof, greeting supporters and onlookers.

He behaved like a champion who had just won a title, something perhaps borne out by his stated confidence that he was innocent of the corruption, money laundering and fraud charges he is accused of.

Earlier, he made another move that some saw as an act of statesmanship when he avoided addressing a crowd in a park outside the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court.

He told a media briefing later he had to lead by example by encouraging people to follow Covid-19 protocols.

ALSO READ: Magashule snubs supporters after court appearance

Magashule, along with 16 others, appeared briefly in the Bloemfontein court in connection with the alleged R255 million asbestos-eradication contract corruption scandal.

A number of state witnesses, including his former secretary, have been lined up to testify against him.

Political analyst Prof Sethulego Matebesi said Magashule had become a de facto leader of the Zuma camp.

Matebesi said since former president Jacob Zuma left office, Magashule had emerged as his heir apparent.

“He is the face of the Zuma camp,” Matebesi said.

This point was echoed by some of Magashule’s supporters, who said they would see to it that he became the next ANC president, in 2022.

This implied they want President Cyril Ramaphosa to serve only one term in office.

READ MORE: All Zuma and Ace did was fight for the black child, says Free State RET Forces

Another political analyst, Prof Dirk Kotze, agreed with Matebesi, saying since Zuma began disappearing from the political stage, Magashule became the obvious person to replace him because he was the most senior in the Zuma camp, being part of the ANC top six.

But Kotze said it would be a big mistake to judge the situation by the crowd that attended in court as they did not represent the entire ANC membership.

One of them, Vusi Tshabalala, former Maluti-a-Phofung municipality mayor, claimed the charges were a ploy to frustrate Magashule’s political career.

Tshabalala, a political ally of Magashule’s, and others looked forward to the upcoming ANC national general council in May where they would raise leadership regime change, despite such gathering being not about elections.

Matebesi agreed with this notion, saying he always believed that Ramaphosa would not get a second term in office.

In a media briefing later, Magashule said he was “innocent until proven otherwise”.

“The truth shall prevail, let this court finish,” Magashule said.

ALSO READ: Magashule: Why should I speak to the president about a case?

He added “any selective morality over the rule of law must be avoided at all” and “history will absolve some of us”.

He denied that there were additional charges against them and that they were ready for the case on Friday.

Senior party members who came to lend moral support were ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini, former Nelson Mandela Bay metro councillor Andile Lungisa, ANC Mpumalanga acting secretary Lindiwe Ntshalintshali and Free State ANC chair Sam Mashinini.

Other co-accused include former cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC and ex-Mangaung mayor Ollie Mamleli, senior government officials and businessmen.

The matter was postponed to 11 August for a pre-trial in the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein and the accused were released on bail.

– ericn@citizen.co.za

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