Cape Town - Former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule has a week to provide the party with reasons he should not be expelled.
The party’s national disciplinary committee found him guilty of misconduct for having tried to suspend President Cyril Ramaphosa as party leader.
At the time, Magashule was served with a letter of suspension after he was charged with corruption related to the asbestos case now before the Bloemfontein High Court.
The ANC’s step-aside rule compelled him to step aside as all leaders charged with serious misconduct should.
Refusing to go down without a fight, Magashule unilaterally announced that he was suspending Ramaphosa as party president.
“I have also, in accordance with the powers vested in me as the secretary-general of the ANC, and furthermore in full compliance with the relevant conference resolutions, summarily suspended the president of the ANC, Comrade Cyril Ramaphosa.”
Following a meeting of the national working committee (NWC) this week, current ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told a media briefing on Wednesday that the ANC’s national disciplinary committee has been seized with the matter involving Magashule.
He said Magashula was charged with two counts of misconduct for contravening the ANC constitution. He said Magashule failed to apologise to Ramaphosa as directed by the party’s national executive committee. This failure, he said, constituted misconduct.
“The national disciplinary committee has made a finding in this regard of which a detailed statement to this effect will be sent to the media in terms of the outcome of the disciplinary hearing,” Mbalula said.
This will be the first time a former secretary-general of the party is expelled for misconduct.
Cape Times