This is according to ANC national chair Gwede Mantashe, who
appeared at the Zondo commission to account for ANC shenanigans during the Zuma
years.
Mantashe was put under the spotlight on the ANC's continued
defence of Zuma in the eight motions of no confidence that were brought against
him.
According to Mantashe, a removal of a president of the
governing party at the request of an opposition party would usher in a
political crisis that the ANC would never recover from.
It was a “mischief” of opposition parties to attempt to
pressure the ANC to vote for its motions to remove its top leader — one that
the ANC will never entertain.
Even now, Mantashe went on, the ANC will never split its
vote to support any motion seeking to unseat its own president, even that
brought by the ATM against president Cyril Ramaphosa should it get to be tabled
before the house.
Mantashe believes that defending the head of the party is
non-negotiable for any organisation that wants to have a prolonged stay in
power. It was in this spirit that the ANC stood with Zuma despite the mountain
of allegations against him on his alleged corrupt relationship with the Gupta
family.
The ANC, Mantashe argued, was backing Zuma because it had
its eye on the bigger picture of protecting itself against opposition onslaught
whose intention was to collapse the ANC.
If the ANC were ever to flirt with the idea of voting with
the opposition to remove its president, that would be goodnight to state power.
“If a majority of ANC MPs vote for the removal of their
president, it does not follow logically that they can put another one of their
own as a candidate,” said Mantashe. “An opposition may put somebody of their
own, some [ANC MPs] in retaliation may vote with them and you have an
opposition president.
“It is a political issue, Mr Chairperson, it is not a
superficial, technical or legal issue. You cannot collapse your party and hope
it will survive.”
Mantashe said it was his duty as ANC secretary-general
during the Zuma years to “keep the party intact” by issuing stern instructions
to MPs to stick to the party line.
Besides, said Mantashe, SA has a party political system
thus MPs vote according to party line.
“In things like these of removing a president, the ANC will
do everything in its power not to ever split its forces. We are a party in a
party political system.”
Pushed on what remedies the ANC has to remove its wayward
presidents without being told by the opposition, Mantashe said the commission
must look no further than the recall of Zuma, which was an internal ANC
process.
This option too was still not perfect, he said, because it
causes internal divisions but was still better than a no-confidence vote in
parliament.
What if the ANC moves the motion on its own in parliament?
“Taking that decision would be cutting your nose to spite
your face. You are telling the world that we are good and the consequences is
that you will destroy your party,” charged Mantashe adding that it is not ANC
policy to be told by outside forces that their president is due for removal.
On this one matter the ANC will never allow its members to
vote based on their personal conscience.
“These free votes, on certain issues maybe yes, but on
political matters that affect the heart of the ANC, we cannot allow a
free-for-all.
“The ANC is a political party with policies. People who go
to parliament on an ANC list understand those policies and go on the basis of
implementing those policies.”
TimesLIVE
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