Ramaphosa says it’s 'mischievous' to say new ANC rules will protect him

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has denied and labelled as “mischievous” reports that his party has crafted new rules for the nomination of candidates to parliament to prevent him from being disqualified from standing for a second term. 

“No, that is very mischievous. The ANC never drafts rules, policy or anything to cater for the interests of individuals. We have never done that, so that is mischievous,” Ramaphosa said on Saturday.

The Sunday Times reported last week that the new rules exclude private prosecution from a long list of requirements for a candidate to be removed.

Ramaphosa is facing a private prosecution case brought by his predecessor Jacob Zuma, who served him with a summons for, according to Zuma, being an accessory to prosecutor Billy Downer's alleged leaking of his medical records to journalist Karyn Maughan. 

The Johannesburg high court last month ruled Zuma’s prosecution was unlawful, a decision he is appealing against in the Constitutional Court.

The ANC has excluded, for the first time, private prosecution from its rules for nomination in the list processes. The party recently officially opened the list processes for candidates for parliament and provincial legislatures next year. 

Though the party has stated those facing criminal charges are automatically excluded from nominations, it has removed private prosecution from the list to avoid feuding factions from using it to deal with each other politically. 

Speaking to journalists ahead of an ANC national working visit to Gauteng, Ramaphosa said: “The rules, electoral or otherwise, that we draft are there for the benefit and the interests of all members of the ANC. These are essentially meant to improve governance in the ANC.” 

Ramaphosa said this was part of the party’s renewal process, “so that the ANC can be better governed, run and administered and to be the type of organisation that we have always wanted to be”.

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