Durban - One of the most fierce critics of ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa and proponents of the unsealing of CR17 bank statements, Onica Maphisa, is gunning for political power in the governing party's structures in Johannesburg.
If Maphisa's bid is successful at the upcoming regional conference, she will be a regional executive committee (REC) member and be in line to be a councillor in the City of Johannesburg.
Maphisa shot to prominence in October last year when she led eight members of the governing party that wrote to Jessie Duarte asking the National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) to haul Ramaphosa over the coals for his controversial CR17 campaign of 2017 at Nasrec.
The CR17 bank statements refer to allegations that Ramaphosa’s campaign ahead of the Nasrec conference, where he was up against Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, had a war chest of over R1 billion. The money was allegedly used to sway delegates and vote in his favour.
Some in the ANC, like Tony Yengeni and Maphisa, felt that it was against ANC rules of engagement during internal elections.
Regarding her bid for regional power, Maphisa confirmed to Independent Media that the poster of her lobbying for a seat in the REC of Johannesburg is genuine and said she wants to make sure that capable women lead the ANC.
"Secondly, a younger generation must take over leadership positions because we are having innovative ideas to run the organisation, which will make sure that we instil politics in the generation after us for them to be able to further advance our lifetime mission of economic freedom in our lifetime,” she said.
Furthermore, Maphisa said if young people take over the running of the governing party, it would be automatically cleaned.
"Cleaning the ANC is something that will happen automatically as and when the younger generation takes over leadership. The elders know each other and their historic squabbles, and they are tainting the ANC, so voting them out would be the cleaning of the ANC," she said.
The date for the Johannesburg regional conference is yet to be announced.
Political Bureau