Zamani Saul reads riot act to NGC plotters

 Kimberley - ANC Northern Cape chairman Zamani Saul, a staunch Cyril Ramaphosa backer, says the upcoming National General Council (NGC) of the party should be used to unite the party and not be used as a platform for internal factions to flex their muscles.

Saul was speaking on Wednesday at Galeshewe township in Kimberley, where the ANC hosted its symbolic cake cutting ceremony to mark 108 years since it was formed in 1912 in Bloemfontein.

He said the upcoming NGC should be used to unite the party which has increasingly been divided in recent years. 

“We hope that the NGC will not provide a platform for factional activities,” he said. 

The NGC is billed for mid-2020 at a host city yet to be chosen by the national executive committee. 

Speculation is rife that there is a faction that wants to remove Ramaphosa and they may try to oust him at the NGC. One of the provinces that was expected to lead the rebellion, KZN, has already said it will not take part and cautioned its members to behave.

President Cyril Ramaphosa leads in song with 'Happy Birthday ANC'. Video: Sihle Mavuso

Meanwhile, Saul also spoke about the skewed ownership patterns of land in the semi-arid and sparsely populated Northern Cape province. He said the issue must be urgently addressed and stressed that it was unacceptable that black people, despite being the majority in the province, owned a tiny portion of the land.