Cape Town - A leadership battle is looming within the ranks of the anti-gangsterism and drug organisation, Pagad, with a splinter group emerging opposing the leadership style of diehards within the movement.
On Thursday Pagad fingered expelled members who have been banned for allegedly using the movement’s name to extort money from businessmen while fostering relations with gangsters and drug dealers.
The rival group, operating under the banner “Pagad G-force”, are said to be challenging the current leadership, particularly targeting Pagad’s national co-ordinator, Abdus Salaam Ebrahim, in a heated social-media smear campaign.
Addressing a press conference in Rylands on Thursday, Pagad’s Madiniyah Chellan said the culprits were members who have “justifiably” been expelled from the movement.
“These expelled members, who are well known to us, have recently started a smear campaign against the Pagad leadership and their families, its formations and structures,” she said.
Accusing the group of having perpetrated crimes in the name of Pagad, Chellan said despite attempts by a self-appointed, independent arbitrator, Aslam Toefy, to discuss possible reconciliation, the group continued with their “relentless onslaught” against the movement.
Fielding questions, Pagad’s deputy national co-ordinator Haroon Orrie said the organisation was not prepared to provide the names or supply the amount of money that was allegedly extorted, but urged the public to contact their office if approached.
“If there is any person who knocks on your door (proclaiming to be from Pagad), they should have an authorising letter stating that they have been authorised by the national Pagad office to raise funds.
Orrie confirmed that the organisation was seeking legal advice to see if there were grounds to take legal action.
“If our legal advisers advise us to do so, we will consider laying criminal charges against them,” Orrie said.
Asked what their gripe with Pagad was, Orrie said they were “looking for free reign to operate in the drug underworld, trying to use the Pagad name”.
Rubbishing claims of extortion and criminal activity, Nazeem Davids from Pagad G-force said the allegations were baseless and nonsense.
But he conceded that there was a challenge to Pagad’s leadership, saying: “It is time for them to make way for new blood”.
“The dynamics in the world of gangsterism and drugs have changed, and we are still living with the old regime. We need to work within the framework of the law. We need to work with all law enforcement agencies and our communities instead of just fighting merchants and druglords,” he added.
Acknowledging that Pagad has played a major role in the late ’90s and early 2000s, Davids said the breakaway group were not after leadership positions in the organisation but felt that drastic action was needed to take the movement forward.
And he added that while they remained open to reconciliation talks, it had been shelved for now.
“We would always be open to negotiations, in fact we do not want to have conflict.”
He cited the resignation of several prominent Pagad members as a true reflection of the trouble within the movement’s ranks.
Regarding the “smear campaigns”, Davids said: “When we approached them to work towards reconciliation and they refused, they gave us no choice but to go public.”
Cape Argus