ANC NEC THREE-DAY MEETING LIKELY TO TACKLE ISSUES OF CORRUPTION

The gathering will likely tackle issues raised by its President Cyril Ramaphosa in his letter last Sunday where he said the party must come to terms with being accused number one of corruption.

Sifiso  Zulu

JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) national executive committee (NEC) is meeting this weekend as accusations of corruption related to COVID-19 erode the governing party.

The gathering will likely tackle issues raised by its President Cyril Ramaphosa in his letter last Sunday where he said the party must come to terms with being accused number one of corruption.

On Friday, former President Jacob Zuma responded to the letter and accused Ramaphosa of betraying the ANC with his stance against corruption.

Zuma wrote to Ramaphosa accusing him of bringing the party into disrepute, a sign of growing divisions within the ANC ahead of the meeting.

The former president said Ramaphosa was the first president of the ANC to stand in public and accuse the party of criminality.

He said Ramaphosa's letter is a diversion by which the president accuses the entire ANC in order to save his own skin.

Ramaphosa has ordered investigations into reports of corruption in the government's COVID-19 response, including the diversion of funds meant for protective equipment for COVID-19 as well as food handouts parcels.