Money was used to buy ANC's Nasrec conference, claims Tokyo Sexwale

Share this article: Share Tweet Share Share Share Email Share

Johannesburg - Former Gauteng premier Tokyo Sexwale has become the second ANC veteran to allege that money was used to influence the outcome of the party’s 2017 Nasrec elective conference. Sexwale made the allegations recently during a live interview with JJ Tabane of the Newzroom Afrika’s Franktalk show. Another Struggle veteran, Meshack Radebe, a former KwaZulu-Natal provincial legislature deputy speaker, made similar allegations during an exclusive interview with Independent Media in August last year. President Cyril Ramaphosa narrowly won the Nasrec conference, beating former African Union Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. Sexwale, who is a well-known businessman, said the Nasrec conference was infested with money and that unity, which former Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza used to convince delegates to support him, was “false or fake”.

“Nasrec was a shocker. Money was used to buy the conference.

“People have a lot of money from the government, and people marshalled money from outside. You buy a conference,” he said.

He said unlike when the ANC was in exile, the current leadership had no unity, but was controlled by money either sourced through government positions or from the private sector.

“We don’t understand our moral compass anymore. Morally, ethically (and) politically we have let our people down. How is it happening? Money, money, money.

“JJ, it's all about money,” he said.

Sexwale also said that in exile, ANC cadres enjoyed equality, where they suffered and were “bitten by mosquitoes and snakes” together.

He said then party president Oliver Tambo had almost equal privileges with other comrades.

Sexwale also said when the liberation movements were unbanned and the ANC won the first democratic elections, certain comrades became employers of others who started “sucking up”.

He said things changed when comrades started to own houses, cars and send their children to private schools and had access to private hospitals.

“The comrades are in charge of you because they pay you,” he said.

Radebe, who is also former agriculture MEC, previously said after witnessing delegates being paid money in exchange of swaying their votes, he decided to quit the government.

“In the hotel where I was staying (in Johannesburg) the cash was given out at the foyer. Delegates would come in buses to collect cash.

"One of the leaders who was giving out money is now a minister. Delegates were each counting R5 000, R3 000, R4 000. Others were complaining that the money they had received was not enough,” said Radebe.

Political Bureau