IF the NEC dumps President Cyril Ramaphosa it could lead to a court challenge to force an early election.
And that might lead to the ANC being unable to control it as it did in the past when it cut short the terms of two previous presidents.
Ramaphosa reportedly had to go in front of the Integrity Committee as he faced a push for him to step down from his opponents in the NEC meeting at the weekend.
His opponents are said to have raised the issue of his election campaign funding, which was reported to be about R1 billion.
He narrowly won the party’s presidency at Nasrec in 2017, beating Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
His supporters are said to have pushed back, saying if he’s to subject himself to the committee, Dlamini-Zuma should, too.
Political analyst Ralph Mathekga said ANC NEC members might be a dishonest bunch, but they were not naive.
He said: “I don’t think they would do that.
“The biggest risk is that the opposition parties could drag them to court to force early elections.
“South Africans are not ready to have another president not finishing his term.
“Unlike when they removed Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki, they’d not be in a position to control the process as in the past.”
Ramaphosa opened himself to the attack after he penned a letter to party members highlighting the scourge of corruption.
Some members called him out on sealing the bank statements on his funding after an investigation by then public protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela.
Zuma laid the foundation ahead of the special meeting when he launched a scathing attack on Ramaphosa, accusing him of selling out by seeking validation from white people.
The NEC is said to have agreed to postpone the National General Council indefinitely due to the coronavirus.
The meeting discussed synchronisation of municipal and national elections and put down a proposal next year’s municipal elections could be limited to three years so it could be aligned with the 2024 national elections.-Daily Sun
