Ramaphosa’s opponents call for inquiry into CR17 campaign

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s opponents are intensifying their campaign to have him and his national executive committee (NEC) investigated for allegedly using crooked means to be elected at Nasrec.

The self-styled Gauteng Radical Economic Transformation, seen as a Jacob Zuma support group, has written a letter to ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule asking him to establish an inquiry to investigate the allegations that cash was used to pay for outcomes of the ANC 54th national conference at Nasrec, where Ramaphosa was elected as party president.

Magashule had a 14-day ultimatum to establish the inquiry and give a progress report about its establishment from the date of his receipt of their letter.

The group said they had instructed their attorneys to apply at the High Court in Johannesburg for access to the CR-17 campaign bank statements they believe would back up their claim. They intended to submit the statements as evidence to the inquiry.

Ironically, their announcement about soliciting the CR-17 bank statements came a few days after Public Protector Busi Mkhwebane lost a case against Ramaphosa at the High Court in Pretoria, which lambasted her for going beyond her jurisdiction in investigating CR-17 activities.

Mkhwebane has been accused of pushing a political agenda for the Zuma faction, something she denied. With Mkhwebane attempt to nail Ramaphosa having failed, the group were trying their luck by riding on a statement made by ANC stalwart Tokyo Sexwale who claimed in a television show that “money was used to buy the conference” at Nasrec.

Sexwale did not elaborate on the allegation but he was supported by senior ANC NEC member and Minister of Water and Sanitation Lindiwe Sisulu, who called for the allegations to be investigated.

They said in their understanding, the Radical Economic Transformation (RET) policy was the official ANC economic programme. But they did not explain why they re-stated the obvious because even Ramaphosa himself never denied that the RET policy was an ANC programme.

The group said the RET approach found expression in the Nasrec ANC resolutions such as the expropriation of land without compensation and the nationalisation of the South African Reserve Bank.

“…it is the duty of each and every member of the ANC to pursue its (RET) full implementation.”

It was obviously that they were referring to Ramaphosa who has been accused by Zuma supporters of failing to implement the resolution on the Reserve Bank nationalisation.

“It is evident that in order to conduct a successful investigation, the formal inquiry that we are requesting you to set up will require access to the CR17 campaign bank statements that are currently still blocked from scrutiny by the High Court in Pretoria,” the letter said.

“It is our firm belief that the ANC has the jurisdiction and right to scrutinise these documents because it is by now an established fact (that) they will shed light on whether the allegations of conference and vote-buying are true. Such clarity will impact on our ANC and our elected leaders, how we are perceived by the broad South African society and our ability to function and lead efficiently.”

– ericn@citizen.co.za

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