Unequal justice: Carl Niehaus of the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association warned of 'civil unrest' if Jacob Zuma is arrested. (Photo by Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo)
The plan by President Cyril Ramaphosa and his allies to consolidate his grip on ANC structures is said to be taking shape, with the preparatory committee expected to investigate the influence of the Gupta brothers in the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans’ Association (MKMVA) as part of its terms of reference.
Party insiders say a report on the Gupta’s association with leaders of the MKMVA will help rid the structure of former president Jacob Zuma’s most loyal allies and solidify Ramaphosa’s influence.
The MKMVA, led by Kebby Maphatsoe, has been an ardent supporter of Zuma and suspended secretary general Ace Magashule.
The MKMVA recently camped at the former president’s home in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, and vowed to take up arms to protect Zuma against law enforcement. Their presence there became a political problem for the president and Police Minister Bheki Cele.
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Zuma is facing a jail sentence for defying a constitutional court order that he appear before the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture.
The MKMVA was also, until recently, one of the last surviving ANC structures to support Magashule, who was suspended for failing to abide by the national executive committee (NEC) ruling that he step aside while facing court action.
The MKMVA’s presence in Magashule’s court case and their continued defiance of the ANC resulted in Ramaphosa’s faction taking action to disband the group.
On Monday, the Mail & Guardian reported that the national working committee (NWC) agreed to form a preparatory committee to take the structure to conference. The committee consists of Fabian “Zakes” Msimang, Keith Mokoape, Jackie Sedibe, Jenny Schreiner, Ntswaki Sixgashe, Lucy Ramasodi and Zolile Nqose.
A meeting that was meant to ensure that two representatives from the MKMVA and two from the MK National Council (MKNC) participate in the committee collapsed on Monday.
The MKMVA left the meeting accusing the top officials of factionalism. But on Thursday it submitted two names, one of which is Maphatsoe.
The MKNC was formed as a splinter group of the MKMVA after a group of its leaders accused Maphatsoe and his leadership collective of misrepresenting their interests and co-opting a much younger membership, who had no struggle credentials, into the association.
Party insiders in the talks say that a report on the Gupta’s association will form part of the committee’s agenda. The Gupta report, one party leader said, will then be discussed at the MKMVA’s next conference.
“When we prepare for a conference we won’t just call them into a hall and elect each other. We will have to look at the pitfalls, our mistakes and areas of improvement. It’s very important that we investigate the Gupta influence in our structure and how the MKMVA was involved in shares and monies that disappeared in state-owned enterprises,” one insider said.
MKNC secretary general Gregory Nthatisi agreed, saying they would support an investigation into the Gupta association with the association.
“We will leave no stone unturned to rid all of these negative tendencies that have bewitched MKMVA for all this time by influencing the terms of reference in a particular direction,” Nthatisi said.
One NEC member involved in the process said they expect resistance from the current crop of MKMVA leaders, who are said to be mobilising support in their strongest provinces.
“We expect the terms of reference and the modality to speak to Gupta influence, to also look at the ballooning membership since the ANC’s military wing was disbanded. I don’t see them welcoming this move by the leadership, and we know that there is a two-pronged approach to try and sabotage the committee internally and on the ground, but it will not work,” the NEC member said.
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MKMVA spokesperson Carl Niehaus said that the association would reject any talks of an investigation into the Gupta’s influence in the structure, adding that a preparatory committee cannot become an investigative committee.
“That is not acceptable and we will reject it,” he said.
Responding to claims that the MKMVA was planning to sabotage the process, Niehaus said the structure has never been against having a unitary conference, but that the conference could not be dependent on the association’s disbandment.
“Obviously our members are concerned and upset. I suppose there will always be a case that members throughout the country and various provinces could come forth with protest action. From the perspective of the national leadership, our position is that we still want to work for a unity conference, but it cannot be on the back of a suspension of MKMVA, and as I have said, we want to raise our concern about how this has been brokered,” he said.
Maphatsoe is expected to meet the top officials next week after the MKMVA requested a follow-up meeting. He is expected to protest against the association’s disbandment.
The MKNC has also blamed the chair of the sub-committee on peace and stability, Tony Yengeni, for being one of the chief principals in the suspension of the unity talks.
“When we raised our concern, members of the peace and stability committee were not alive to the issues we raised because they did not know what nonsense Tony was doing in that arrangement. You are a media person, you know the divide in the ANC between those that have committed heinous crimes and those that want to protect the ANC.
“You can tell that those that have committed heinous crimes would like to conquer the structures of the ANC like they have conquered the government in order to protect themselves from not going to jail.
“MK became one of [those believing] that if they can grab this structure, it will help them to fight their battles and not end up going to jail. Tony has come out clear to defend the slain SG [Magashule]. You can see where he was trying to lead us to. Our resistance to Tony’s actions was informed. It was honest,” Nthatisi said.
The divisions between the MKNC and MKMVA led to the 2017 Nasrec conference resolving that structures should begin unity talks — involving six leaders from each structure — to take the structure to conference. Yengeni was tasked with overseeing the process as head of the peace and stability sub-committee.
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