ANC defends including suspects
The ANC has defended the inclusion of corruption-implicated members on its list of potential public representatives, with head of the electoral committee Kgalema Motlanthe saying the candidates were chosen based on the value they would add to parliament plus compliance with electoral rules.
The governing party on Monday officially released its candidate list, which shows it may have ignored the recommendations of its integrity commission, choosing instead to include many implicated in state capture or tainted with corruption scandals. This includes sport, arts & culture minister Zizi Kodwa, former finance minister Malusi Gigaba, MP Cedric Frolick and deputy water & sanitation minister David Mahlobo.
The inclusion of some of the state capture or corruption accused could dent the party’s chances of recasting itself ahead of the May 29 elections as an anti-corruption party as it fights to retain its electoral majority.
Motlanthe said the state capture commission report, which implicated these members in state capture, did not eclipse the internal processes of the ANC, which would require the integrity commission to make adverse
findings against individuals and concurrence from the ANC national executive committee (NEC).
“The Zondo commission report in certain instances recommends further investigations of certain individuals in the list. It did not itself make any definitive finding against some of the people,” he said during a press briefing on Monday.
“To the extent that as the electoral committee did not have very definitive findings against people who are facing certain allegations, we couldn’t exclude them from the list.”
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula echoed similar sentiments to Motlanthe, saying the candidate selection process of the party was transparent and rigorous and the NEC did not “let anyone off the hook”.
“It is important candidates do not have any pending court cases or disciplinary hearings. This allows them to fully focus on their responsibilities without distractions or legal complications,” he said.
“The rules say no-one will be eligible to stand if they have gone to the integrity commission and have got adverse findings confirmed by the NEC. With members of the ANC who are on the list, their cases have not been confirmed by the NEC and it is due to process cases which come from the integrity commission that affect individuals.”
The decision to include those implicated in state capture has been a bone of contention and is expected to test the unity and cohesion of the party. Its rules do not exclude those who are accused in any report from standing for public office unless they have been criminally charged in a court of law.
Any decision to exclude those accused of state capture from its provincial and national candidate lists would have been seen as effectively extending the remit of the party’s step-aside rule as none of those accused has been charged in court.
Former health minister Zweli Mkhize, who voluntarily stepped aside in 2021 from the position after the Digital Vibes scandal, has been nominated by his home province of KwaZuluNatal to head to parliament, paving the way for him to return to the cabinet.
The ANC candidate list — along with that of uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, which is backed by former president Jacob Zuma — was leaked last week shortly after parties submitted their lists to the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC).
The Information Regulator confirmed on Monday it received confirmation from the IEC regarding a security breach leading to the leak of the lists. “The regulator has advised the IEC that the notifications sent to the regulator do not provide sufficient details about the incidents to make them compliant with Popia [Protection of Personal Information Act] requirements. Accordingly, the regulator has sent an information notice to the IEC requiring it to furnish the regulator with more details regarding the incidents,” it said in a statement.
As part of the investigation into the leak, the watchdog has asked the IEC to provide the security compromise involving the ANC and MK candidates, proof the IEC had published the security compromise notice on its website, shown written notification to the MK party and confirmation of the number of candidates affected by the security compromise.
WITH MEMBERS OF THE ANC WHO ARE ON THE LIST, THEIR CASES HAVE NOT BEEN CONFIRMED BY THE NEC
Fikile Mbalula ANC secretary-general