Former president Thabo Mbeki. File picture
THE ANC is expected to meet soon with former president Thabo Mbeki after he wrote a 17-page letter to the party’s deputy president, Paul Mashatile, criticising the party for defending President Cyril Ramaphosa on the Phala Phala matter.
ANC first deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane said on Monday, during the the 30th anniversary commemorations of the assassination of former SACP leader Chris Hani, that ANC leaders would hold an engagement with Mbeki with the hope that, instead of criticism, he would start giving guidance to Ramaphosa.
Mbeki, in the letter sent last month, warned that the actions of the party would alienate people from the ANC.
“To be honest to ourselves, as our Comrade President insisted, we must expect that the already existing gulf between the ANC and the people widened, as the latter saw the former refuse to investigate the alleged criminality which has resulted in these masses suffering from long periods of very destructive load shedding,” Mbeki wrote.
He said he was concerned that the ANC had twice used its majority caucus in Parliament – in December and last week – to vote against any probe into the Phala Phala scandal because it suspects that Ramaphosa has done something wrong. He said the ANC wanted to protect Ramaphosa at all costs.
Mokonyane said ANC leaders would hold meetings with all presidents, including Mbeki, and that secretary-general Fikile Mbalula would be facilitating the engagement.
She said they would ask Mbeki to give Ramaphosa the space to lead and to become a support system and a counsellor.
In his letter, Mbeki said the ANC needed honest self-introspection on why it was blocking investigations into Phala Phala and he compared it to the scandals surrounding the “Nkandla matter” which involved former president Jacob Zuma.