President Cyril Ramaphosa is not inclined to fire tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu, whose attacks on the judiciary in the press are seen as a precursor to an ANC succession debate.
A source close to the president said even though Ramaphosa has the sole constitutional prerogative to hire and fire those in his cabinet, the president is not keen to fire a potential political opponent without following “due process”.
Sisulu attacked the judges by referring to black judges as “house negroes”, prompting acting chief justice Raymond Zondo to reply and defend the integrity of the judiciary.
Over the weekend, justice minister Ronald Lamola said personal and crude racial attacks on judges could not be defended, while mineral resources & energy minister Gwede Mantashe said Sisulu had not brought the party into disrepute.
ANC integrity commission head, George Mashamba, told Business Day that the furore was about political point-scoring and that party members would see through it.
“Our focus should be to solve problems, not debate issues
to score political points,” Mashamba said. He would not discuss, however, Sisulu’s comments because of the possibility she might eventually appear before the Commission in due course.
Suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule argued at the weekend that Ramaphosa had opened the ANC succession debate by not condemning Limpopo premier Stanley Mathabatha when he publicly supported the President for a second term last weekend. ANC NEC member Dakota Legoete defended Magashule over the ANC’s “step-aside rule”.
Ramaphosa said, ’Once upper structures decide on matters, whether right or wrong, lower structures must abide by that, that is how the ANC has always worked. A departure from this practice constitutes ill-discipline, and that is what we must root out.’