Agang critic is EFF spy: Ramphele

She was responding to criticism from Yako Sakhiwo, who was quoted in The New Age as saying Agang SA would elect another leader
and still contest the general elections. The New Age said Sakhiwo was Agang SA's acting Gauteng secretary. 

 

 

Agang SA Gauteng was expected to address a media briefing at 10am on Wednesday about Ramphele joining the Democratic Alliance to become its presidential candidate in upcoming general elections.  But Ramphele told SABC radio news: "He [Sakhiwo] is not a member of Agang. He's been expelled because he came in as part of an EFF [Economic Freedom Fighters] infiltration team and when we found him out we expelled them, including him.

 

 

 "He is a prohibited person on our premises and the people running our office are going to get him arrested if he were to trespass into our offices.  "So I don't know about him carrying any power because he is a persona non grata. He has no standing in the organisation," said Ramphele. 

 

 

DA leader Helen Zille announced Ramphele's move to the DA on Wednesday.  Sakhiwo was quoted as saying in The New Age: "Our leader is taking us where we never wanted to go. If she wants a merger with the DA, she should have consulted us first. 

 

 

"I was with many other fellow leaders and members at our Braamfontein offices and we were all surprised. We even got calls from other party leaders and other provinces who were also surprised."

 

He said the political party, formed as a "political platform" by Ramphele about a year ago, then launched last June, would stil contest the elections  with another leader. 

 

Some senior DA members complained to Beeld newspaper that they too had to find out about Ramphele's move in the media. "It is being forced onto us," a member of Parliament who was not named told the Afrikaans daily.  Ramphele said the decision not to inform members was "what visionary leadership is", according to The Star newspaper.

 

 "Obviously we haven't consulted the last village, the last township where we have been and are active. But the leadership of Agang in the provinces have been abreast. "  Ramphele denied she was joining the DA because her own party was going broke, saying "the only party that is bankrupt is the ANC, which is morally bankrupt".  

 

ANC general secretary Gwede Mantashe described the development on Tuesday evening as "rent-a-black, rent-a-leader. We can't be concerned about that".

  

 

 

-Sapa