UMKHONTO WE SIZWE MILITARY VETERANS ASSOCIATION (MKMVA) MEDIA STATEMENT ABOUT THE NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION AGAINST THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC AND RELATED MATTERS

Sunday, 6 August 2017

The Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) is confident that regardless of whether the motion of no-confidence against the President of South Africa, that the opposition parties have tabled in the National Assembly, will be conducted by open or secret it will be decisively defeated. The opposition parties have tabled 7 similar spurious no-confidence motions and they made absolutely no headway – it will be no different this time round.

MKMVA none the less finds it important to make the following points about this particular no-confidence motion: - While we concur with the ruling of the Constitutional Court that it is the prerogative of the Speaker of the National Assembly to determine whether the vote in the upcoming no-confidence motion should be open or secret, it is our firm belief that it should be an open vote. Our opposition to a secret vote is premised on our conviction that elected representatives should not be allowed to vote in secret. There have been disingenuous and deliberate attempts by the opposition to the ANC (both inside and outside of parliament) to confuse the secret vote that citizens are entitled to during elections, with the vote of elected representatives.

While citizens are entitled to a secret vote because they speak only for themselves and therefore their votes are no one’s business, elected representatives speak for voters and thus their votes are indeed everyone’s business.

Furthermore, the ANC members who are deployed as MP’s in the National Assembly do not find themselves there on their own volition as individuals. They are in the National Assembly as members of the ANC, who have to carry out ANC decisions and policies. As MKMVA stated categorically yesterday in a short message that we released on all social media platforms: “NO ANC DEPLOYED MP CAN HAVE A SECRET VOTE – NOR VOTE AGAINST THE ANC – THEY REPRESENT US AND THEY MUST ACCOUNT TO US!”

- MKMVA agrees with the position of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ANC that the motion of no-confidence is, “not so much about removing the President, but rather dislodging the ANC itself from power”. It is also important to note that the NEC furthermore declared that: “… ANC MP’s are always expected to vote in line with the decision of the Caucus of the ANC. Failure to do so is in violation of Rule 25.17.16.4 of the ANC Constitution that defines an act of misconduct as acting on behalf or in collaboration with: 1. counter-revolutionary forces;

2. a political organisation or party other than an organisation or party in alliance with the ANC in a manner contrary to the aims, policies and objectives of the ANC;”

In this regard it is important to be note that the ANC Parliamentary Caucus declared that it is, “very hypocritical of the opposition to want ANC Members of Parliament to defy their party mandate when they do not allow such in their own parties… We will vote against this motion because it is a crude and populist attempt to unseat a popularly elected government.”

- In this context MKMVA believes that any ANC MP who votes in favour of the noconfidence motion should be charged with gross indiscipline. There can be no doubt that any such member or members will be in contravention of Rule 25.17.16.4 of the ANC Constitution. We furthermore call for them to be recalled as Members of Parliament with immediate effect. These ANC members are deployed on our behalf in the Parliament and we will not condone them defying the ANC in our name.

MKMVA furthermore believes that ANC MP’s such as Dr. Makosi Khoza and Mondli Gungubele, who have already openly defied the instructions of the legitimate ANC structures and declared that they will vote in favour of the no-confidence motion, should with immediate effect be recalled from Parliament. There is no need to wait for them carry out the ill-disciplined intention that they have already committed themselves to. The public statements that they have already made are more than adequate evidence of their defiance of the discipline of the ANC, and that they are already in contravention of Rule 25.17.16.4 of the ANC Constitution.

MKMVA commends the firm position of the ANC KZN Provincial Executive Committee’s decision to bring disciplinary charges against Dr. Khoza. It is regrettable that the ANC Gauteng Provincial Executive Committee has not shown the same clarity of purpose and resolve in defence of the ANC with regards to Gungubele.

As far as the threats of a few other ANC MP’s that they may vote in favour of the no-confidence motion, we are of the opinion that the ill-disciplined views that MP’s such Pravin Gordahn, Mcebisi Jonas and Derek Hanekom have already expressed in public should similarly lead to disciplinary charges being brought against them. If they, or any other ANC MP’s, vote in favour of the no-confidence motion they should also immediately be recalled from Parliament.

We furthermore note with dismay that although Derek Hanekom is the Chairperson of the ANC NEC’s Disciplinary Committee (DC), he has been supporting the reactionary and undisciplined statements of Khoza and Gungubele with tweets and public utterances to the point that one can come to no other conclusion that he is making common cause with them. MKMVA believes that through his own reactionary behaviour Hanekom has disqualified himself to continue to chair the NEC Disciplinary Committee. We, therefore, call on the NEC to immediately remove Hanekom from this position, and to replace him with a worthy and disciplined NEC member who respects the Constitution of the ANC.

None of these proposed disciplinary measures can be construed as intimidation, they are simply normal disciplinary measures that any self-respecting political party takes against errand members.

In the run-up to the no-confidence vote on the 8th of August MKMVA make an urgent call to every member of the NEC of the ANC to clearly and in public, without any equivocation, support the position of the ANC Parliamentary Caucus. We expect from every single NEC member to call on all ANC MP’s to vote without failure against the opposition’s motion of no-confidence in President Zuma.

This we expect such a clear instruction especially from the Top Six Officials of the ANC.

Since it is specifically a motion of no-confidence against President Zuma it would not be appropriate to expect from the President to defend himself and the ANC in this instance, - MKMVA therefore call on Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, as the Deputy President of the ANC and therefore the most senior leader under President Zuma, to lead the call for discipline and unity in defence of the President and the ANC.

It is an utterly false juxtaposition construed by the mainstream White Monopoly Capital media to say that ANC MP’s must choose between loyalty to the ANC and their conscience.

Every ANC MP with a conscience knows that they are in Parliament as representatives of the ANC, and that the ANC is the only political party willing and capable of securing economic justice through Radical Socio-economic Transformation for the black (especially African) majority of South Africans. An un-disciplined vote by any ANC MP in favour of the motion of no-confidence will be a betrayal of the over 11 million South Africans who voted during the last national elections for the ANC. It will be a dastardly betrayal of their hopes for a better life.

MKMVA as a disciplined formation and Association of the ANC will participate, together with all the other Leagues and Associations of the ANC, in the march In Defence of Democracy under the leadership of the ANC on the 8th of August. We call on every possible member and supporter of the ANC who can join us to do so.

Sekunjalo! The time has come to put our foot down and to bring an end to ill-discipline and counter-revolutionary behaviour that intend to undermine the African National Congress either from outside or within. As committed democrats we commit ourselves to convey this message peacefully and a disciplined manner.

Statement issued by the President of MKMVA, Comrade Kebby Maphatsoe, 6 August 2017