Magashule is as good as expelled
Former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule’s expulsion from the ANC is apparently imminent. This after he failed to meet a deadline to explain why he should not be expelled.
The ANC’s national disciplinary committee (NDC), led by party veteran Ralph Mgijima, has recommended Magashule be dismissed as a member of the party, notes a TimesLIVE report.
Mgijima’s committee gave Magashule seven days, on 23 May, to explain why he should not be expelled, a deadline that expired on Tuesday.
A senior party insider confirmed Magashule had not written back to explain why he should not be expelled.
‘He’s as good as expelled now,’ the insider said.
The NDC found Magashule guilty of contravening several sections of the ANC constitution, says a Business Day report.
That was after he failed to apologise for his decision to suspend party president Cyril Ramaphosa in May 2021 regarding his CR17 presidential campaign.
Magashule issued a letter in which he suspended Ramaphosa just hours after he himself was suspended by the national working committee, which effected the step-aside rule over his asbestos corruption case in Bloemfontein.
The ANC took Magashule to the disciplinary committee where he was directed to issue an apology to Ramaphosa, ANC members and its structures.
Magashule failed to do so, and was again brought before the committee and given seven days to explain why he should not be expelled.
The Business Day report says if Magashule is expelled from the ANC it could worsen factional tensions within the party.
Magashule is among the ANC leaders who have been accused of facilitating state capture for then President Jacob Zuma’s associates, the Guptas.
While Magashule’s expulsion would be in line with the ANC’s reform agenda, it could also lead to the ANC further haemorrhaging support in the Free State in the 2024 general election.
The effect of Magashule’s probable expulsion will only be felt in the Free State, according to electoral analyst Wayne Sussman.
‘One cannot underestimate that Magashule built a lot of ANC infrastructure there over two decades. If he were to form a political party in the Free State, the ANC is likely to lose some support in the Free State in the next elections,’ said Sussman.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula insisted yesterday that Magashule’s disciplinary process was fair.
‘He is afforded seven calendar days from the day of being informed to make written submissions to the NDC to show cause why the ANC recommendation that the charged member be expelled should not be imposed as an appropriate sanction,’ said Mbalula, while reading from the NDC findings and recommendations.
Political analyst Ongama Mtimka said: ‘The only good I can see from Ace Magashule being expelled is to set a precedent for what will not be tolerated in the ANC. But politically to expel Magashule would be like beating a dead snake’.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
