ANCYL labelled ‘political prostitute’ for bribe claims

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa File picture: Nic Bothma/EPA

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa File picture: Nic Bothma/EPA

Published Apr 25, 2017

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Durban - The ANC Youth League is being a “political prostitute” by calling on Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to report to police his allegations of a “brown envelope” doing the rounds in the ANC, said Isaac Luthuli, the Young Communist League deputy secretary-general.

Luthuli on Monday accused the ANCYL of failing to make the same call to President Jacob Zuma, who previously made similar allegations.

Luthuli was reacting to a statement by the ANCYL in the eThekwini region on Monday, which called for Ramaphosa to go to the Hawks to report his allegation that money was exchanged in brown envelopes among ANC members ahead of the party’s national conference in December.

“The problem is money. Money has come in between us, and today there is patronage, there is money being passed around, in bags, paper bags and brown envelopes. As we are leading to the conference, money has become the currency of buying favours and votes,” Ramaphosa reportedly said while delivering the SACP’s Chris Hani Memorial Lecture in the Eastern Cape at the weekend.

In response, the ANCYL in the region issued a statement saying his allegations were “very serious”. It said that people in authority like Ramaphosa were obliged by the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004 to report any wrongdoing to police.

“The SA Police Services Act 10 of 2012 further directs that such reporting be done to the Directorate for Priority Crime investigation, commonly known as the Hawks,” the ANCYL’s statement read.

Youth League Deputy National Secretary Isaac Luthuli File picture: Dumisani Dube/Independent Media

It said if Ramaphosa failed to report the matter to police, he should face criminal charges for withholding information he had about the commission of a crime.

Thulisa Ndlela, ANCYL eThekwini regional spokesperson, said as deputy president, Ramaphosa took an oath of office to uphold the law, “so he must uphold the law by going to the Hawks”.

Ndlela said the league was concerned Ramaphosa would use allegations of bribery to justify defeat at the conference.

“What the deputy president is doing is a calculated act. If it does not go his way at the conference, he will say people were bought,” said Ndlela.

Luthuli said by issuing the statement, the ANCYL was being a “political Jezebel - a prostitute who keeps quiet when things favour them”.

“Zuma said on record in Pietermaritzburg he knew who was working with foreign companies against the South African government. Why did Zuma not submit names of people who were committing treason to the Hawks?” he asked.

Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo, police head of operational service relations, said it was an offence for someone to fail to report a crime to police.

“If a person witnessed a crime and decided to keep quiet, he can be criminally charged with defeating the ends of justice,” said Naidoo.

Ronnie Mamoepa, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, said he could not comment on issues of the ANC, which had nothing to do with government operations.

Daily News

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