Home » ANC Chief Whip: ANC Worse Than Apartheid. Calls for Leaders to Resign.

ANC Chief Whip: ANC Worse Than Apartheid. Calls for Leaders to Resign.

The ANC’s Chief Whip, Jackson Mthembu, has shocked South Africans by suggesting that his party’s top leaders – the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) – should tender their resignations because their performance left a “bitter taste in the mouth”. Speaking to City Press newspaper, Mthembu said the pursuit of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan is “anti-democracy and […]

By SAPeople
23-10-16 20:48
in News

The ANC’s Chief Whip, Jackson Mthembu, has shocked South Africans by suggesting that his party’s top leaders – the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) – should tender their resignations because their performance left a “bitter taste in the mouth”.

Speaking to City Press newspaper, Mthembu said the pursuit of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan is “anti-democracy and anti-ANC’ and questioned how “instruments of state [can] be used to pursue our own minister”.

He added: “When you see these things being done by a democratic state, your heart jumps. We are not only equal to the apartheid state, we are worse – because they never treated their ministers like this.”

Mthembu said his first call for the leaders’ resignation followed the ANC’s poor performance at the local elections.

He said he was referring to President Jacob Zuma, his deputy Ramaphosa and Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe, along with other leaders and that his mission is to “save the ANC” and not to target the South African president per se.

He didn’t mention retiring himself, although he did say he plans to return to branch politics rather than make himself available for election at the party’s next elective conference, at the end of 2017.

It was also announced that National Director of Public Prosecutions, Shaun Abrahams, met Zuma (and three other cabinet ministers) at ANC Headquarters, Luthuli House, the day before he charged Gordhan with fraud – a charge which relates to the early retirement of a SARS (SA Revenue Services) official whilst Gordhan was boss.

Following today’s political bombshell, journalist Tim Modise tweeted: “Could this be what angered Jackson Mthembu?” Abrahams and Zuma reportedly deny they discussed the Finance Minister.

Gordhan will be in court on 2 November, a day on which the EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters), DA (Democratic Alliance) and various other organisations have called on South Africans to take to the streets of Pretoria in support of Gordhan and their country’s democracy.

Support for Gordhan has split the ANC. Whilst the ANC Youth and Women’s League have said he should face charges like other citizens; Mthembu, Mantashe, Ramaphosa and other leaders have offered Gordhan support.

Eighty of the country’s largest businesses – including banks, retailers, hospital networks, mining companies, the JSE and Black Business Council – have also come out in public support of Gordhan, pledging: “We stand against the damage this has caused to our economy and to the people of South Africa, especially the poor.”

Mthembu also said the NEC should apologise to Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene and conduct an interrogation into why he was removed.

Mthembu is quoted saying: “Why should we not step down, given that we have messed up? All these things happened under our watch. The ANC is losing support at 54%. Unless the party starts doing things differently, we will not be in power in 2019.”