Mchunu and Mokonyane rubbish vote-rigging tales

FORMER KwaZulu-Natal premier Senzo Mchunu has denied that he received an apology from ANC national executive committee (NEC) member Nomvula Mokonyane.

This is in connection with reports that Mokonyane went to his house to apologise for the alleged manipulation of the outcomes of the recent national elective conference of the ANC.

Mokonyane is currently taking legal action against those she said were accusing her of fraudulently influencing the outcomes of the party’s conference.

The head of elections in the previous NEC was alleged to be the key figure behind the failure to count several special votes cast in the election of ANC officials by the electoral commission.

With Mokonyane’s close ties to Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma’s presidential bid, the alleged act was seen as aimed at bolstering Dlamini Zuma’s slate as it saw the election of Free State premier Ace Magashule as secretary-general.

Backers of Mchunu, who was on ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa’s slate, complained he would have won the post had the special votes been counted and included in the final outcome before the results were announced.

On Wednesday, Mokonyane announced that her lawyers would be gunning for those who continued to peddle the allegations against her.

This follows the circulation of an SMS accusing her of bribing an electoral officer with R200 000 in exchange for meddling with the outcomes.

Mokonyane said she had identified the originator of the message circulated on social media and in various WhatsApp groups.

She had instructed her lawyers to take legal action against the man for the defamation of character that is contained in the allegations made, she said.

In a statement, Mokonyane also rejected allegations that she had approached Mchunu and had apologised for the alleged meddling with electoral outcomes of the position he contested.

“I have not made any attempt to visit Comrade Senzo Mchunu and the allegation that I have been turned away from his residence is totally untrue,” she said.

Yesterday Mchunu confirmed that Mokonyane had not met with him or apologised to him.

“Somebody who has access to social media told me about this yesterday but what I can tell you is that this is not true,” Mchunu said.

Following his failed bid to succeed current national chairman Gwede Mantashe as secretary-general, Mchunu was elected to the party’s NEC.

Meanwhile, the new NEC is set to meet for the first time next week, on Wednesday, to discuss preparations for the party’s 106th anniversary celebrations, which will be taking place in the Eastern Cape on January 13.