ANC can't be bought - Ramaphosa

Johannesburg - The African National Congress is not and will never be for sale, its deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa said in Soweto on Friday.

"Those who may want to sell the ANC or a portion of it must know: It’s not for sale," he told SACP and ANC supporters at the grave of the communist party’s former leader, Joe Slovo, in the Avalon Cemetery.  

"It can never be bought. That's what Joe Slovo taught us."

Ramaphosa was speaking at an event to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of Slovo's death.

He said there was trend in the ANC at present of offering members cash from car boots to buy support for individuals ahead of its elective conference in December this year.

"A new tendency has come into our movement. Money is now able to buy votes. They say: ‘Vote for so-and-so and we will give you R5 000 or R50 000.’ Vehicles are full of cash," he said.

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Factionalism

Many would remember Slovo for his jovial nature, sense of humour, his clear thinking on politics, and his intellectual honesty.

"He was the type of leader who did not say: 'Do as I say, but not as I do'. Because today we have leaders who always stand up on platforms, say a whole lot of things, but do the opposite."

Slovo would never have insulted those he disagreed with, unlike what was currently happening in the ANC.

"He would argue his point. When he did, he was not insulting."

When some in the ANC stood up to speak out against certain things, they would be cursed and insulted. Leaders were not admitting when they were wrong, but blaming people and the members, in order to cover up errors and weaknesses, Ramaphosa said.

Slovo would not have tolerated factionalism, abuse of state power, patronage, and corruption.

Elaborating on the corruption which the ANC had admitted it was struggling to overcome, he said the decision to subject members to lifestyle audits needed to apply to leaders at the top of the political party. This would enable it to deal decisively with corruption.

There was a need to rebuild branches to ensure they were rooted in the communities they served, so they would not be easy to capture or buy.