ANC blocks criminally-charged contenders
JOHANNESBURG - The ANC’s rules for nomination and election of national executive committee (NEC) members were released on Monday, in which the restriction on candidates eligible to run for office is likely to deepen political rifts within the divided governing party.
Earlier this year, ANC structures in Mpumalanga and eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN)defied the party’s rule for criminally charged office bearers to step aside from active participation in the party’s affairs, by electing implicated candidates into office.
The ANC subsequently amended the rules to tighten the loophole to exclude criminally charged contenders, and the new rules released this week reaffirm that position.
Suspended
Suspended ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule had threatened that he would contest the elections if nominated, despite that he is facing corruption charges in court in relation to a multimillion-Rand asbestos contract in the Free State during his stint as premier.
The ANC suspended Magashule in May last year after he refused to step aside until he was cleared, saying that the charges against him were political and intended to enable the party to sideline him from participation in its activities and future elections.
Former Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, who was also lobbied by branches in his home province, KZN, to contest
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s bid for a second term, has also been threatened with arrest over the unlawful Digital Vibes communications contract issued by his department to his friends when he was still in Cabinet.
The official publishing of the rules marks the last step towards the formal opening of the leadership succession race ahead of the upcoming national elective conference. The party’s provincial secretaries, interim provincial committee coordinators and leagues are expected to circulate the rules among members in structures throughout the country.
Those prohibited from contesting the elections include anyone who has been ‘found guilty of, or has been charged with, unethical or immoral conduct or any serious crime, or corruption’.
“A serious crime is defined by the electoral committee as a crime that could result in a prison sentence of longer than six months. A charge is defined as being charged in a court of law.
This rule applies also to members who have been charged with any criminal offences in cases that are still being heard, or where a judgment or sentence is being appealed,” read the rules distributed by ANC Treasurer-general Paul Mashatile.