‘We never exonerated Mabuza’
ANC integrity commission makes shock declaration on deputy president
● The ANC integrity commission has never cleared Deputy President David Mabuza of allegations of wrongdoing stemming from his time as premier of Mpumalanga.
The stunning revelation comes in a report dated July 6 that was tabled at a meeting of the national executive committee (NEC) this weekend by the commission’s chair, George Mashamba.
The commission also accused the ANC’s top six leaders, who include President Cyril Ramaphosa, of maliciously and intentionally hiding its reports by failing to table them before the NEC, the party’s highest decisionmaking body between conferences.
The commission also said the top six ignored its request for a meeting to discuss videos showing ANC members exchanging cash from the boot of a car.
In the report, the commission says it never had a discussion with Mabuza over corruption and other allegations dating from his tenure as Mpumalanga premier.
Mabuza was among 22 ANC leaders who were red-flagged by the commission last year as unsuitable candidates to represent the ANC in parliament.
Shortly after the election in May, Mabuza caused shockwaves when he wrote to National Assembly speaker Thandi Modise asking for his swearing-in as an MP to be delayed until he had appeared before Mashamba’s commission.
When he was eventually sworn in after Ramaphosa’s inauguration, it was widely reported that the commission had cleared him.
But the report before the NEC this weekend makes it clear that is not the case.
It says the commission was pressured to meet with Mabuza and ANC national chair Gwede Mantashe on the eve of Ramaphosa’s inauguration.
“The IC [integrity commission] agreed to accommodate the … comrades on the date they had requested,” the report says.
“The deputy president spoke of his support for and commitment to the integrity commission and how important it was.
“There was, however, no discussion with him … as the recording of the meeting reflects.
The commission then issued a statement … to the effect that [it] had not cleared anyone
After the deputy president had spoken, the meeting ended.
“The next morning … front-page newspaper headlines said the deputy president had been cleared by the integrity commission.
“The IC then issued a statement for the attention of the NEC to the effect that the commission had not cleared anyone.
“The IC stated very clearly that it would not be intimidated or manipulated in this manner. The statement was not acknowledged or tabled,” reads the report.
It cites the Mabuza case while discussing a meeting the commission held with human settlements minister Lindiwe Sisulu, during which it became clear that the NEC was not seeing its reports.
Sisulu had appeared before the commission to explain public comments she made late last year to the effect that the body was toothless, inconsistent and ineffective.
“Sisulu expressed shock and distress that she had no knowledge of [the Mabuza matter],” the report says.
“She went through the agenda of the NEC that was currently sitting to show that the IC report on the two VBS comrades was not on the agenda. The IC asked her why no-one on the NEC ever asked for IC reports or even asked what the IC was doing.”
Mabuza’s spokesperson, Matshepo Seedat, said the ANC was better placed to comment, adding that at no point did the deputy president put pressure on anyone.
Neither Mashamba nor ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe could be reached for comment by the time of going to print.
The commission also recommended that deputy finance minister David Masondo should step down from the post and as head of the OR Tambo School of Leadership over his handling of an extramarital affair with a journalist.
The commission dismissed Masondo’s version of the scandal, which also involves a case of extortion probed by the Hawks, as “nonsensical”.
Masondo said he was “taken aback” at the finding, saying the commission had previously indicated that it would not be looking into his conduct.
Turning to the top six, Mashamba’s report was scathing about how they handled the commission’s reports.
“The IC reported that its reports are not acknowledged or tabled at the NEC. That only one clause of our proposed amendments to our terms of reference had been accepted and one year later we are still waiting for the other amendments to be adopted.
“For example, one of the proposed amendments was that the IC quarterly reports be a standing item on the NEC agenda in order to ensure that the work of the IC was visible,” the report reads.
“The IC wonders whether ignoring and/or hiding IC reports is a failure of the ANC’s administration or purposeful action to hide IC recommendations from the NEC, or both,” it says.
“The IC wonders whether it is wrong or naive or just plain stupid to expect first and foremost our officials, and then the NWC [national working committee], to table IC reports and lead the NEC through the points we are making.”