ANC NEC members have been captured – and they must go!

29 May 2017

There is only one way to interpret this weekend’s ANC National Executive Committee decision to keep Jacob Zuma in power: those who spoke in his favour approve of -- and in fact support -- Zuma’s project to sell our country to thugs, looters and crooks.

Even though the NEC had the authority to remove Zuma, and some members tried to speak out with honour and integrity, the NEC collective has failed South Africa in not removing him from office.

He is still with us, and will continue his project to further entrench the wanton criminality that has become his trademark – with the full backing of the NEC.

We demand to know which NEC members backed Zuma, so that history can judge those who voted for state capture, looting, and the sale of South Africa to a Mafia-style network of crooks.

Regardless of the commitment to an inquiry into state capture, the NEC’s decision to allow Zuma’s continued misrule is a tacit endorsement of everything he has done, and gives him carte blanche to continue selling South Africa’s sovereignty:

It is an endorsement of the fact that he has violated his oath of office, as determined by the apex arbiter of our Constitution, the Constitutional Court.

It is support for the abuse of power that we call the state capture project, outlined in all its gory detail by the Public Protector, the SACC’s unburdening process, and the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) report “Betrayal of the Promise: How South Africa is being stolen”.

It is confirmation of the string of ethical and legal violations revealed in this weekend’s newspapers, which provide further details of how Zuma and his comprador cronies have corrupted the state.

It is confirmation that the NEC approves of Cabinet being appointed in Saxonwold, not a President with constitutional authority to do so, and agrees with the further entrenchment of those at the core of state capture, such as Malusi Gigaba.

It is endorsement of the capture of National Treasury and the handing over of the public purse to the captains of state capture.

It is an affirmation of the massive looting that is going on in government departments, where public funds intended for health care, education and social services are being siphoned off by corrupt leaders and government officials working in tandem with corrupt business people.

It is a blank cheque for the looters who use state-owned companies such as Eskom, SAA and Denel as their piggybank.

It is an endorsement for the contamination of the entire criminal justice system through the SAPS, the NPA and intelligence structures.

It is turning a blind eye to the massive social ills that are gathering momentum in the South Africa Zuma has created: poverty, inequality, racism, sexual violence and patriarchy.

The NEC -- and the ANC, we must assume -- supports all this, and everything else Zuma is doing to destroy our country and our hard-won freedoms, and to undermine our Constitution and our national sovereignty.

In that case, we must be unambiguous in our resolve that we will neither tolerate nor allow it.

We cannot sit idly by and let this happen and we repeat our demand that Zuma must go, and call on other South Africans to unite around a deeper, final push against the king of corruption.

We also reject the ANC attempt to strong-arm MPs to vote against the motion of no confidence that is pending in Parliament. We view this as part of a blatant, disconcerting and unacceptable reduction of a once glorious liberation movement into a powerful machine in defence of a project to sell our country out to a mafia gang.

We must increase pressure on ANC MPs to do the right thing during the Vote of No Confidence next month. Unlike Zuma’s protectors in the NEC, they must dig deep into their consciences and save South Africa from further ruin.

We therefore call on more South Africans to focus on the immediate action that can be taken to stop state capture, including legal challenges, while we continue to campaign against its architects, planners and implementers:

1. An immediate judicial commission of enquiry into state capture and the dismissal of all those found to be involved in corrupt activity.

2. The restoration of credibility in the criminal justice system, and all institutions that play a crucial role in the fight against corruption.

3. Public affirmation by all political parties of the independence of the Judiciary and the integrity of Chapter Nine institutions.

4. The appointment of credible leaders in key economic institutions that are linked to the fight against corruption.

5. Full investigations into corruption and misgovernance in state-owned companies and parastatals, followed by the removal of boards, CEOs and management found to be corrupt, and their replacement with reputable and experienced leaders.

6. Ensuring Zuma and the Guptas are not allowed to leave South Africa. Their passports must be revoked until investigations around them are finalized – particularly in light of reports that they intend to skip the country.

In conclusion: The continued defence of Zuma is extremely disappointing, and the continued loyalty to him is odious – particularly as, while misguided NEC members have been putting their political futures on the line for him, he is far from showing the same loyalty to them. In contrast, weekend reports show he has spent the past year, and more, making plans to flee the country to set up a “second home” in the UAE.

It must be clear, to even the most diehard Zuma supporters, that Zuma acts in the interests of one thing, and one thing only – himself.

So while we welcome the brave attempts by some NEC members to take Zuma down before he takes South Africa down with him, we can draw only one conclusion from this weekend: that those driving state capture now have the NEC in their pocket.

They have captured its members. And those captured members must go!

A captured NEC is causing the entire ANC to be captured similarly. They have sold us out to a criminal gang. It’s time we fought back with everything we have to reclaim our hard won freedom.

Issued by Save South Africa, 29 May 2017