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Why Stone Sizani had to go

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Stone Sizani
Stone Sizani

The ANC’s top six officials and its national working committee have failed to agree on who should be the party’s next chief whip, City Press has learnt.

Two sources said that Stone Sizani’s replacement was discussed first by the top six officials last week, and then by the national working committee on Monday.

Both structures could not come up with a name.

“The issue of the new chief was discussed by officials last week and they couldn’t agree; it went to the national working committee on Monday. They also could not agree,” a source said.

Another source said the issue “could not be finalised”.

In its statement, the ANC said the national executive committee (NEC) would make a decision regarding Sizani’s replacement when it met in a few weeks’ time.

ANC spokesperson Khusela Sangoni could neither confirm nor deny that the two structures had discussed or disagreed on the names, saying she would not comment.

“At the appropriate time, there will be a decision from the NEC, which would have been a recommendation from the relevant parties, whether it be the national working committee or officials,” she said.

Meanwhile, Sizani’s deputy, Doris Dlakude, will act in the position. She is not an NEC member.

Discussions for a replacement emerged after ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe informed Sizani that he would be redeployed as an ambassador to Berlin.

Several ANC sources said Sizani, citing ill health, had been asking the ANC for a long time to release him.

He declined to comment when approached by City Press on Friday afternoon, and referred all questions to the ANC’s headquarters, Luthuli House in Johannesburg.

Another source close to the national working committee said it looked as if the ANC may pick stand-in Dlakude, even though she was not an NEC member.

The source, while declining to say who they were, said Dlakude may stay because the party’s bosses could not agree on any one of the three names suggested.

The source said it was not ANC policy for a chief whip to come from the NEC ranks, but a convenient excuse that the party used to remove Mathole Motshekga in June 2013.

Sources said the ANC removed Sizani after the ANC caucus failed to defend Zuma from an attack by opposition MPs in the recent state of the nation address.

Both DA leader Mmusi Maimane and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) chief Julius Malema hammered Zuma, and Malema got personal in his speech on February 16.

He spoke about Zuma’s statement during the high-profile rape trial, where Zuma said taking a shower would lessen the chances of contracting HIV.

“This is the man who knowingly impregnated a friend’s child, despite his having many wives at home. This was another sign that you are bad with judgement,” Malema said.

An MP, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the incident would have contributed to Zuma’s people in the ANC concluding that Sizani could not be trusted to stand by Zuma.

A government official said people in the ANC were questioning the timing of Sizani’s ejection so soon after the DA’s motion of no confidence in Zuma.

The official said this sent a message that Sizani was punished because he had done a bad job defending Zuma.

Sizani has on several occasions during his tenure been embarrassed by truant ANC MPs who would prefer to be at the airport on Thursday afternoon rather than in the House.

Chief whip is a difficult position. It involves instilling discipline and making sure that MPs attend portfolio committee meetings and sittings of the National Assembly. This is to ensure that there are enough MPs to pass bills.

Besides nursing the 249-member caucus, Sizani always sat between a rock and a hard place: he had to balance instructions from Luthuli House, which did not necessarily fit in with parliamentary protocol, and the resulting stress affected his health, sources said.

Sources, including those from opposition parties, recalled how Sizani had been hinting for at least a year that he wouldn’t be in Parliament for long.

City Press also understands that ANC leaders were not happy with Sizani announcing in the media that he was going to be an ambassador in Germany.

“It is diplomatically and procedurally wrong. In fact, he violated the diplomatic protocols,” an ANC insider said.

A source in the department of international relations and cooperation confirmed that it was wrong of Sizani to talk about his nomination for an ambassadorial post. South Africa would have to explain itself to the Germans.

“The host country has to vet the candidate and once they have satisfied themselves, accepted and accredited him, it’s only then you can announce that the person would be an ambassador,” said the diplomatic source. – Additional reporting by Setumo Stone

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