ANC Integrity Commission - Phala Phala has deepened divisions and Ramaphosa must take NEC and country into his confidence.

The ANC Integrity Committee draft progress report, which has been leaked to  Daily Maverick, paints an unfortunate picture of how the Phala Phala saga has affected the organisation – and further fractured the already divided governing party. The final report will be presented to the National Executive Committee of the ANC which is taking place over the weekend at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Soweto.

In a statement issued by ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe on Friday night, the party has challenged the authenticity of the draft report and called it “baseless”.

“In terms of the Integrity Commission Terms of Reference it is the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson who are authorised and entrusted with full responsibility to engage the media and release any media statements on the work of the commission. Neither of them has to date released any of the commission’s report or media statement on Phala Phala,” according to the statement.

The draft report added: “The issue of Phala Phala, given the continuing intensification of rivalry especially among the leadership of the ANC, suggests that the NEC may not be able to fairly and honestly reflect on this issue and provide appropriate leadership thereof.”

The committee believes that it is in a “complex” situation because it cannot pinpoint an appropriate sanction seeing that they were not given enough information by the president to reach a conclusion. The committee also states that it remains unaware of any facts regarding the events at the Phala Phala farm beyond those in the public domain.

“Given that we have not been able to hear from comrade President we are unable to determine the cause of what has brought the ANC into disrepute. It could be that it is the actions of individuals on comrade President’s farm that has brought the ANC into disrepute. It could be comrade President’s response to events on the farm that has brought the ANC into disrepute. It could be the reporting of the incident to the police station by an ANC member that has brought the ANC into disrepute. 

“It could be forces external to the ANC and the way in which they have mobilised around the incident that has brought the ANC into disrepute. It could be that comrade President broke the law that has brought the ANC into disrepute,” it reads.

Ready in Daily Maverick Phala Phala set to loom large in ‘heated and robust’ talks at final crunch NEC meet before elective conference

It states that the final outcome of the Phala Phala case, whether negative or positive, is believed to be a hurdle for the ANC’s renewal project. 

“The factions and the rivalry are going from strength to strength. They are not lessening or diminishing. The current situation presents the ANC as its own worst enemy and patriotic South Africans are watching with horror the speed with which the ANC is progressing towards its own disintegration. 

“It is now clear that the factions, especially within the leadership will never agree on anything that affects another faction. The above mentioned political situation within the ANC and NEC in particular, put the IC and the implementation of its mandate in an invidious position,” the draft report reads.

The two-page draft report outlines the exact timelines of Ramaphosa’s interactions with the ANC’s disciplinary body and exactly what ensued. 

?WATCH?ANC Treasurer General and Acting Secretary General Paul Mashatile briefs Members of the media on the sidelines of the NEC meeting. Video by myanc pic.twitter.com/dUZZc5Vo62

— Central News (@fscentralnews) November 11, 2022