A source inside the African National Congress (ANC) has exclusively revealed to The Star that there is clandestine plan by President Cyril Ramaphosa and his inner circle to hold the ANC’s 55th National Elective Conference in Cape Town.
The ANC’s National Conference will elect the party’s new top six.
The highly placed source say Ramaphosa and his very close backers are plotting to have the conference in the Western Cape in order to distance the delegates from “external factors to convince them”.
During Conference it is common to have hotels and entertainment venues surrounding the electoral facility become strategy booths for delegates and some branch members who did not make it as delegates.
The source claims that one of the reasons Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele was recently appointed as the State Security head, is to bring government intelligence capacity into Ramaphosa’s office in preparation of the election showdown.
Gungubele’s startling appointment raised eyebrows last week as the first Minister in the Presidency to be given another portfolio.
The source further revealed to the Star that the other reason behind the hush plan of holding the conference in Cape Town was so that Ramaphosa could be closer to his friends and advisers, the Rupert Family, who live in Stellenbosch, a stones throw away from Cape Town.
Presidential Spokesperson Tyrone Seale did not respond to questions on the State Security slush fund being directed to Ramaphosa’s December campaign.
Questions were also sent to the ANC’s Treasurer General Paul Mashatile, who is manning the secretariat office since Secretary General Ace Magashule’s suspension while Deputy Secretary General Jessie Duarte is hospitalised.