The article by your columnist Pedro Mzileni in yesterday’s Sowetan refers. Former president Thabo Mbeki and current president Cyril Ramaphosa were relentless political rivals.
Mbeki was clearly unsettled by the popularity of Ramaphosa and his proximity to Nelson Mandela, culminating in rumours that his political rivals, including Ramaphosa, were plotting to assassinate him just before an ANC electoral conference.
Mbeki was silent when the ANC protected Jacob Zuma after the ConCourt ruling on Nkandla. It is therefore opportunistic of him to attack the ANC position on its section 89 decision to protect Ramaphosa. There has been no ConCourt ruling on the Phala Phala saga.
The ANC voted against the section 89 panel’s report because Ramaphosa had taken the matter on review to the ConCourt. This was surely a reasonable decision by the ANC in a constitutional democracy. Unfortunately, the ConCourt refused to entertain the matter.
What more was Ramaphosa expected to do? The ANC’s hands were tied because it would not take a premature decision while waiting on the ConCourt ruling on the matter. Crucially, the SA Revenue Service and the public protector have found no wrongdoing on the part of Ramaphosa.
It is disingenuous of Mbeki to accuse the ANC of abusing its majority to subvert the constitution when he blatantly did so during his term as president. Mbeki flagrantly abused his office as president by firing Adv Vusi Pikoli as head of the NPA who was about to charge then police commissioner and prominent ANC member Jackie Selebi with corruption.
Mbeki should accept current polls which indicate that the ANC will lose even more support at the next elections without the much loved Ramaphosa.
Jeffrey Mothuloe, email
READER LETTER | Mbeki abused power in his tenure
Image: Thulani Mbele
The article by your columnist Pedro Mzileni in yesterday’s Sowetan refers. Former president Thabo Mbeki and current president Cyril Ramaphosa were relentless political rivals.
Mbeki was clearly unsettled by the popularity of Ramaphosa and his proximity to Nelson Mandela, culminating in rumours that his political rivals, including Ramaphosa, were plotting to assassinate him just before an ANC electoral conference.
Mbeki was silent when the ANC protected Jacob Zuma after the ConCourt ruling on Nkandla. It is therefore opportunistic of him to attack the ANC position on its section 89 decision to protect Ramaphosa. There has been no ConCourt ruling on the Phala Phala saga.
The ANC voted against the section 89 panel’s report because Ramaphosa had taken the matter on review to the ConCourt. This was surely a reasonable decision by the ANC in a constitutional democracy. Unfortunately, the ConCourt refused to entertain the matter.
What more was Ramaphosa expected to do? The ANC’s hands were tied because it would not take a premature decision while waiting on the ConCourt ruling on the matter. Crucially, the SA Revenue Service and the public protector have found no wrongdoing on the part of Ramaphosa.
It is disingenuous of Mbeki to accuse the ANC of abusing its majority to subvert the constitution when he blatantly did so during his term as president. Mbeki flagrantly abused his office as president by firing Adv Vusi Pikoli as head of the NPA who was about to charge then police commissioner and prominent ANC member Jackie Selebi with corruption.
Mbeki should accept current polls which indicate that the ANC will lose even more support at the next elections without the much loved Ramaphosa.
Jeffrey Mothuloe, email
PEDRO MZILENI | Mbeki’s letter a scathing reminder of the mission the ANC threw out
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