On Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa rubbished claims that he sold out during the days of the struggle against apartheid.
In his reply to the debate on the state of the nation address, Ramaphosa spent some time refuting the claims made by COPE leader Mosioua Lekota.
Lekota insisted during Wednesday’s debate that Ramaphosa collaborated with apartheid authorities in the early 1970s.
“When it was difficult, [Ramaphosa] wrote to the special branch that we put communist ideas in your head. In doing so you condemned us. I say this to you because the special branch rewarded you as they always did with their victims; they sent you home, and we headed to Robben Island,” Lekota said.
Ramaphosa has slammed the allegations.
“Instead of engaging seriously with the matters of national importance raised in the address, several speakers used this as a platform for personal attacks, [and] vitriol,” Ramaphosa said.
“The same allegations were made against Nelson Mandela, that he was a sell-out. [At the time] I spoke to Cde [Walter] Sisulu and he said they judged Mandela on his character, and that those allegations were unfounded based on the character they knew him to be.
“These poisonous messages about people are dangerous,” Ramaphosa said. “They can even lead to being people killed. As Oliver Tambo said: ‘Be aware of the wedge driver’. I have never been a spy. I have never worked with the enemy. All I have done is [remain] committed to the people of our country.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.