ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa and Secretary-General Ace Magashule. Photo: Twitter / @IntellectualZA
Ace’s pro-Zuma remarks show cracks widening in the ANC – analyst
ANC internal battles know no end, especially after Ace Magashule failed to condemn former president Jacob Zuma’s refusal to comply with a Constitutional Court order
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa and Secretary-General Ace Magashule. Photo: Twitter / @IntellectualZA
Tensions between African National Congress (ANC) factions are coming to a head, particularly in the wake of comments made by the party’s secretary general Ace Magashule, coming to former president Jacob Zuma’s defence.
On Wednesday, 3 February 2021, Magashule, a fierce Zuma supporter, said the former president had done nothing wrong and that the ANC will not take any action against him.
Magashule was responding to Zuma’s move to defy an order by the Constitutional Court, which compelled him to appear before the State Capture Commission, where he has been implicated by at least 34 witnesses.
“What we are seeing is a widening of cracks within the ANC. Some of us have said it, when the new leadership was elected at Nasrec, that what you have is two organisations working under one roof,” political analyst Prince Mashele said in an interview with eNCA.
ANC internal battles: ‘Ace Magashule daring Ramaphosa’s faction’
There are two factions within the ANC – the Ramaphosa faction and the Magashule faction, which is aligned to Zuma.
“The ANC has come to some kind of crossroad, where it must decide which ANC must die and which ANC must live. It would appear to me that Ace Magashule is actually daring the other ANC…” he further said.
Mashele went on to point out that the internal battles of the ANC affect the country, saying the ruling party undermining the constitution (by way of not taking action against Zuma for refusing to listen to the highest court in the land), means South Africa is facing a serious crisis.
When he was speaking to journalists, Magashule again accused media of gunning for Zuma while at the same time, refusing to zero in on apartheid-era politicians who have blood on their hands.
“Leave comrade Zuma alone. Just leave him alone. What is the problem, and what has he done? I can’t talk on behalf of Jacob Zuma, but he has his own rights. You can’t want me to say anything. Why should we suspend Jacob Zuma for his beliefs? He has the right to do whatever he wants to do, I don’t see the issue,” Magashule said.
“Why should I call him to order? There’s nothing wrong with what he has done. There are many wrong things happening in this country. We can go through the days of Truth and Reconciliation. The media stayed quiet about apartheid killings.”
