Shock claims about Nasrec cash for votes

Published Aug 22, 2019

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Durban - Former KwaZulu-Natal legislature deputy speaker Meshack Radebe has revealed how he allegedly witnessed ANC leaders dishing out cash in exchange for votes at the party’s Nasrec elective conference in 2017.

The veteran said what he witnessed made him realise that his party was taking a wrong direction, and he decided to quit the government.

Radebe spoke to Independent Media earlier this week at his home in Maqongqo village outside Pietermaritzburg. He had been a mayor, and MEC for social development and for agriculture.

He said he declined to return to the provincial legislature despite being in the top 20 of the ANC provincial legislature list.

“When I returned from Nasrec, I said I am resigning, because what I saw there I could not stomach; but the leadership, including Nxamalala (former president Jacob Zuma) pleaded with me not to leave until after the elections,” he said.

He was reacting to allegations that leaders used money to win support at the Nasrec conference, where President Cyril Ramaphosa won his contest with Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to replace Zuma as ANC president.

“In the hotel where I was staying (in Johannesburg) the cash was given out at the foyer. Delegates would come in buses to collect cash.

"One of the leaders who was giving out money is now a minister. Delegates were each counting R5000, R3000, R4000. Others were complaining that the money they had received was not enough,” said Radebe.

ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe said on Wednesday night that he was not privy to claims made by Radebe and declined to comment while ANC KZN spokesperson Ricardo Mthembu said the only discussions they had had with Radebe was when they approached him after his name appeared on the nomination list for the provincial legislature.

Mthembu said at the time that Radebe had declined the nomination, saying he was approaching his seventies and wanted to relax with his family.

Political Bureau

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