Jaspreet Kindra The acting Minister of Intelligence, Penuell Maduna, has denied the existence of an investigation into an alleged plot to replace President Thabo Mbeki with Cyril Ramaphosa, the former secretary general of the African National Congress. In a separate comment, the Inspector General of Intelligence, Fazel Randera, questioned whether it would have been appropriate for a state intelligence organ to investigate the internal workings of a legitimate political party. Randera also conceded that “unfortunately” this week’s press reports had created the impression among some that the intelligence services might be in the pocket of the ruling party. Newspaper reports over the weekend claimed that the plot, allegedly engineered by unnamed American and British business persons, had been uncovered by South African spies in one of the country’s missions in Europe.
The news reports added that, when informed of the plot, Minister of Intelligence Joe Nhlanhla informed Mbeki’s office and ordered a “more intensive investigation”. Maduna, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, is standing in for Nhlanhla, who is ill. The uncovering of the alleged plot caused excitement in political circles because of perceived rivalry between Mbeki and Rama-phosa, who left politics for business in 1996. Politicians were intrigued to hear that the alleged plot had supposedly been hatched because of dissatisfaction over Mbeki’s handling of the Zimbabwe and the HIV/Aids issues. Maduna’s representative, Paul Setsetse, said this week: “The minister has checked with the South African intelligence services as well as the secret services. There is no such investigation being conducted.” Setsetse said that Maduna had said there was “no need” to conduct such an investigation, implying that the information said to have stimulated the investigation was incorrect. Randera said the newspaper reports had raised several questions about the mandate governing the intelligence services, and the basis on which a decision was made that a development constituted a threat to national security or warranted an investigation. Randera also queried the factual basis of the report and its intention. “On what basis was the story written?” he asked. “It has very serious repercussions – it leads to paranoia about how the country is governed and a negative perception of the intelligence services.”
Ramaphosa this week categorically denied any involvement in any political plot involving him. He said: “I am never coming back to politics.” The politician turned businessman, who heads Johnnic, received the most votes of any candidate elected to the ANC national executive at its last conference in Mafikeng in 1997. Ramaphosa, who was elected twice to the position of secretary general of the ANC and successfully led the party through the Conference for a Democratic South Africa, still commands considerable support in the ANC. He was the first general secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers and organiser of the conference that led to the launch of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu). His union background means he also commands considerable support in Cosatu, one of the ANC’s allies in the ruling tripartite alliance. His reputation as a successful negotiator recently earned him an invitation to Northern Ireland to help take forward the peace process there. Some political observers believe that Rama-phosa, who many thought should have succeeded Nelson Mandela to head the ANC, was manoeuvred out of politics to make way for Mbeki.