DURBAN - On December 20 last year, the Daily News published a ground-breaking story and revealed that it was in possession of an audio recording of an ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting where President Cyril Ramaphosa, appeared to be replying to NEC member Tony Yengeni and others in relation to allegations levelled against him about vote-buying during the CR17 campaign.
Below is the audio recording transcript of what Ramaphosa said: “About the whole issue of vote-buying and the allegations that he says have been levelled against me, and the arising from the whole saga that unfolded in relation to the CR17 campaign … I am raising this because tomorrow we are meeting the integrity commission and one of the reports that will also be tabled is my appearance before the integrity commission…
“When I went to see them and there was a bit of delay seeing them, but then I did finally see them, the integrity commission said the ... well, let me start off by saying I had prepared a detailed, fairly detailed account ... I guess they sought that would interest comrade Tony and that is why I want to speak before tomorrow’s meeting. And as appeared they said, no, we are not interested in what happened in the past, we just want talk to you about how campaigns should be regulated ... the ANC going into the future.
“But I said we need to learn from the past so that we are better. “Informed on how best to solve what could evolve as problems in the future, they basically said no we’re not interested but I did say to them that I have prepared a 30-page document, which summarises what I wanted to say and I gave it to them.
“That document is still with them and it has not seen the light of the day. But I have now decided that, with their permission, I guess, that it should be released to any ... and I would like it to be emailed to NEC members so that it can be enlightened on what I sought to say to the integrity commission and what I actually outlined in the document because the narrative that has been propagated is that the CR17 campaign amassed a lot of money up to a billion rand and bought votes with that money.
“And that is far from the truth and the document you will get in your inboxes will outline all that, the extent to which the campaign was run, the manner in which it was run, and I guess in the end maybe what we did with the comrades who were running the campaign where they made a mistake was just to be too methodical, and to be too professional, even as they sent money out for services that have been given like hiring a venue or this, that and that, they recorded everything.
“And I will outline all that in the document so that what concerns comrade Tony and indeed maybe many others, may be put out there in the open as you go through the document. And quite a lot of it actually, has also been covered in court papers up to including stuff such as who funded CR17. And even the case that’s been launched by the EFF, they have all those records, those records were revealed in those papers, and in a way they are on a particular campaign.
“But rightly so some of those people who funded CR17 were members of the ANC, none members, and there were business people both black and white, but comrade Tony what you should know, is that no money from the state was used, ever, and we made it a clear, a determined point that no state resources should be utilised. Comrade Oscar has just said that in campaigns money is used for a variety of things, and we all know that, but we also know as ANC cadres that in some cases state money has been used in some campaigns, we know that, we will not talk about it to the extent comrade Tony where some comrades had said, well, let’s investigate all campaigns and not just one.
“I even said to the officials, I think it’s enough to focus on one only CR17, and even said because I don’t want the ANC to be dragged, once again, in the mud when those assessments, investigations will reveal that a lot of money, of public funds, was used, and I said that in this case I am prepared to fall on the sword so that the CR17 campaign, yes should be the only one that is looked at, and not the others, because the image of the African National Congress is what I am most concerned about.
“Each one of us knows that quite a bit of money that is used in campaigns, in busing people around, in doing all manner of things, is often from state resources and public resources and we cannot kid ourselves when it comes to that. One of the officials said, you know as these people from the state security were testifying, one of the officials said, soon they will be revealing how about how money from the SSA was used for some campaign, and I said heaven forbid, I would rather they say yes you got money from this businessman for CR17 than for the public to finally hear that their money, public money, was used to advance certain campaigns.
“So comrade Tony, and all comrades, for this, this need for transparency, I am all for it. And you will recall comrades that after the Nasrec conference, I was the first one to say we need to develop guidelines on how we run campaigns, I was the first one, and I will say comrade Tony that you’re absolutely right. That rule, that decision that was taken, I think it was in the Polokwane conference … no it was at the Mangaung conference, where we said we need now to determine how money should not be used was dropped along the way.
“And I don’t know how it was dropped, and as a result, a number of campaigns have evolved utilising money in all manner of campaigns. You will see it when you read my testimony to the integrity commission because I deal with that, but having said so I also made proposals to the integrity commission and I have said to them, we must now accept in the ANC that campaigning is going to happen, and rather than just leave (it) to happen clandestinely, and for people to raise clandestinely, let us regulate and made proposals in the integrity commission submission on precisely this issue.
“So as far as I am concerned, nothing comrade Tony that I would want to hide, nothing that even politically, that I feel would be so devastating even against me because I know what we did in CR17, no money was used to buy any votes, and even where some comrades got tempted, yes we all get tempted, I said to comrades I would rather lose than to have money bought, be utilised to buy votes, I said I would rather use, then it’s not worth it, because once it get to that level as an organisation, then we have no organisation left but that practice has continued, now it is up to the NEC and indeed to the NGC must discuss this matter as should conference.
“We must discuss this matter and regulate how campaigns should be conducted in the ANC. I wanted to discuss a whole number of other issues but I know you have said that we need to adjourn so I felt I needed to respond to this before Sunday papers are splashed with all manner of things about what was said here about CR17. I have no fear if investigations have to be launched by the NEC by anyone, no fear whatsoever,” said Ramaphosa.
On December 22, the ANC MP and suspended whip on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), Mervyn Dirks, wrote to the committee chair Mkhuleko Hlengwa requesting that Ramphosa be summoned to explain himself.
On January 17, ANC chief whip in Parliament, Pemmy Majodina, wrote to Dirks instructing him to withdraw the letter to Scopa. This was met with resistance from Dirks who requested to be furnished with reasons for the withdrawal. Majodina suspended Dirks from Scopa and stripped him of his responsibilities.
Following the suspension, Dirks filed an urgent court application which Judge Le Grange ruled was not urgent and he lost the case on the basis that it was not urgent.
On January 26, Hlengwa called a special sitting to allow Dirks to present and motivate his request. After the committee deliberated on the matter, the committee resolved to instruct Ramaphosa to explain his utterances.
Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane issued a public statement announcing that her office had received a complaint from Dirks under the Executive Members Ethics Act and revealed she would investigate the Ramaphosa recording. A report would follow within 30 days of receiving the complaint.
Daily News