ANC Chief Whip response to utterances and behaviour of ANC Mp Makhosi Khoza
7 June 2017
The ANC and its Parliamentary Caucus has been on record that its stance on the upcoming motion of no confidence in President Zuma by the opposition in Parliament is that we will not vote with the opposition in favour of such a motion. We have consistently been on record that we will not vote with the opposition to remove our ANC government from office immaterial whether such a motion is voted upon through an open or secret ballot.
Noting the above, ANC MP comrade Dr Makhosi Khoza has gone on a publicity spree in the past week stating that she will not toe the party line when voting in the upcoming motion in Parliament.
Through her many interviews, she casts aspersions on ANC members of parliament saying that she doubts that ANC MPs have the necessary morality to make their own decisions. We take serious exception to such utterances as they seek to question the calibre of our MPs. ANC members of parliament are tried and tested cadres of the movement who have in their own name and right contributed immensely to the attainment and advancement of our democracy.
We further condemn the fact while the ANC was engaged in a National Policy Conference (NPC), comrade Khoza chose to run her own media conference on the side lines of the NPC. Comrade Khoza was invited to the NPC as a member of the ANC Parliamentary Caucus and was therefore highly out of order to engage in parallel activities on the side lines of the NPC on content that had nothing to do with the NPC itself.
Comrade Khoza also alleges that she is not allowed to raise her views in ANC Caucus meetings. This is absolutely not true. Comrade Khoza like any other member of the ANC Caucus has never been barred from raising their views in caucus meetings. To the contrary, comrade Khoza has consistently spoken at Caucus and expressed her views on any matter. Furthermore, the ANC as per its constitution encourages its members to raise matters of concern to them inside structures of the movement. We therefore find such allegations rather unfortunate.
As the whippery of Caucus, we found out via the media that comrade Khoza has written to the speaker regarding the secret ballot on the motion of no confidence. Whilst we respect the right of any MP to raise matters they feel strongly about with the leadership of parliament, party discipline dictates that she should have at least informed the Chief Whip of such actions. The fact that we find out about such through the media is very worrisome.
Furthermore, the ANC Caucus has on numerous occasions said that it is not averse to a secret ballot and would positively engage in parliamentary processes on the question of the secret ballot. Therefore her actions rather strange.
The Office of the ANC Chief Whip will forever protect the right of ANC members of parliament to raise their views however when such views are continuously and deliberately in contrast with resolutions of the organisation on particular matters, it puts the ANC Caucus, as a structure of the organisation in a very difficult position.
The Whippery of Caucus as well as the leadership of the ANC have spoken to comrade Khoza on numerous occasions. It appears as though comrade Khoza has defined herself outside of the collective of the ANC parliamentary caucus and is acting like an independent member of parliament and a free agent who will not subject herself to organisational processes and discipline.
We have again spoken to comrade Khoza and raised our extreme discomfort with her utterances in relation to Caucus and the leadership of the ANC at large. We are off the view that these actions amount to extreme ill-discipline and should be acted upon by the organisation.
Whilst we are aggrieved by her conduct, we again reiterate that nobody in our organisation or in the country has the right to vilify or threaten her and her family. She, like any South African enjoys the right to safety as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. We again, as we have done before, call upon the organisation and the police authorities to act with the necessary speed to ensure that the safety of comrade Khoza and that of her family is guaranteed. The ANC and the police authorities must also act against those who have threatened and intimidated her and her family.
Issued by the Office of the ANC Chief Whip
Enquiries:
Nonceba Mhlauli
Media Liaison Officer
0726233462
