- Ace Magashule is expected to face more charges within the ANC.
- The ANC NEC meeting took a hard disliking to his public defiance over his suspension.
- This was after he was booted from participating in this weekend's meeting.
Suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule is expected to face charges within the party for his defiance of his suspension.
This comes after the ANC's national executive committee (NEC), heard how Magashule's actions warranted further disciplinary action, with the party's top six leadership instructed to take action.
News24 understands that Justice Minister Ronald Lamola was at the forefront of calls for Magashule to face charges.
Two sources said Magashule's letter last Wednesday appealing his suspension and seeking to, in turn, suspend President Cyril Ramaphosa was the basis for the push for action against him.
"Lamola argued that something has to be done. NEC members were saying that you can't have an SG making all sorts of claims in the media and be fine with it," the source said.
Signs that the political tide was turning against Magashule in the NEC meeting were evident after he was booted out of the meeting at the start.
Magashule defiantly tried to attend the meeting, insisting that despite his suspension for failing to step-aside given the criminal charges he faces, he was still Secretary-General.
Insiders said that on Sunday Magashule's supporters were sounding the alarm that the party would be on the verge of collapse if Magashule remained suspended.
Supporters like Tony Yengeni are said to have told the meeting that the ANC was facing an, "... irreconcilable ideological divide".
Former Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba also raised concern, and said there should be more talks.
Engagement
"I want to plead with the NEC to [heed] the message raised by [former] president [Thabo] Mbeki about engagement," he said.
Gigaba said Mbeki raised the issue of what is known in ANC history as the "Gang of Eight", a political group of senior ANC members who held no official positions in the ANC's structures after its 1969 Morogoro conference.
Then ANC President Oliver Tambo then engaged this group in protracted political discussions to find political rather than administrative solutions to their problems.
Gigaba said this group was engaged with for five years, "... until it became evident that it was impossible to arrive at any political solution with those people", before they took a decision to expel them.
Gigaba said:
But Ramaphosa supporters, who insiders confirmed were in the majority, argued that uniting the ANC could not mean that the party had to support criminally accused leaders.