'Divisions sparked by Sisulu saga a jostling for the presidency leadership'

Sara-Jayne King talks to columnist Ismail Lagardien about the week's top news stories.

- The ANC NEC is meeting this weekend amid tensions raised by the public spat between the Presidency and Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu

- 'The official reports are that President Cyril Ramaphosa should show Sisulu no leniency' says columnist Ismail Lagardien

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The ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) is meeting this weekend amid the public spat between the Presidency and Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.

City Press reports that several attempts to introduce a debate about Sisulu’s contentious views on the Constitution and the judiciary were scuppered during the NEC meeting.

RELATED: Sisulu calls Ramaphosa a liar: 'People will judge his leadership on next move'

After the Presidency issued a second statement standing by its version of events, Sisulu's office still maintained the Minister had not apologised for her controversial opinion piece.

#Sisulu In spite of president Cyril Ramaphosa’s office issuing a second statement insisting tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu has said sorry for her opinion piece attacking the country’s constitution and judges – her office says she's made no apology whatsoever.

— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) January 21, 2022

#Sisulu Some are calling for Sisulu to be axed – so she can focus her energies on her campaign to become the ANC’s next president when the party goes to an elective conference at the end of the year.

— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) January 21, 2022

Sara-Jayne King interviews veteran journalist and columnist, Ismail Lagardien.

The official reports are that Ramaphosa should show her no leniency.

Ismail Lagardien, Veteran journalist and columnist

There's been a back and forth, but Ramaphosa doesn't seem to have been directly involved... the usual suspects in the radical economic transformation faction (RET) saying that this is all a plot to discredit Sisulu...

Ismail Lagardien, Veteran journalist and columnist

It's predictably divisive, in the sense that anybody who criticises anything that Cyril Ramaphosa stands for is immediately embraced by the RET forces, the Bikoists, the EFF...

Ismail Lagardien, Veteran journalist and columnist

Lagardien says the divisions the standoff has caused are predictable, but ugly.

Yes, the fact remains that she said the most dangerous African today is the mentally colonised African... This is a very sixties slogan that many African scholars have spoken about.

Ismail Lagardien, Veteran journalist and columnist

It's a jostling for the presidency leadership, so you also get Gwede Mantashe coming out and saying people are trying to drive a wedge between him and Cyril Ramaphosa because he wants to be the deputy.

Ismail Lagardien, Veteran journalist and columnist

Scroll to the top of the article for the audio to listen to the interview with Lagardien

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