ANC’S integrity commission faces tough opposition over Masondo
Insiders say the ruling party’s body was too harsh on the deputy finance minister
The integrity commission of the ANC will face an uphill battle to convince the top brass of the governing party to endorse its decisions to force party leaders to step down from their government positions.
There are growing concerns in the ruling party over the capacity of the commission and its wide-reaching powers to recall members of national executive committee (NEC). The commission, chaired by party veteran George Mashamba, will find it difficult to convince the next meeting of the NEC to adopt its recommendations that Deputy Finance Minister David Masondo should step down.
Several NEC members told Sunday World the commission had blundered in its recommendation that Masondo should step aside after being accused of abusing power.
Masondo is accused of abusing state resources by involving the Hawks to resolve a domestic dispute with a woman he was romantically involved with. On July 18, Mashamba wrote to Masondo informing him the commission doubted his ability to assess the situation, saying his actions had brought the ANC into disrepute.
Masondo said he reported the matter to the Hawks and police when his accuser harassed his family and made death threats.
NEC members said the commission was accorded wide-ranging powers to even recall ministers and their deputies – which is the prerogative of the president of the country – while it does not have expertise and capacity to investigate.
An NEC member said they had warned that the commission should not replace normal disciplinary processes of the party, during which leaders are afforded a fair chance to defend themselves. “If there are allegations that I did something wrong, I must be subjected to a normal process,” he said.
Another NEC member said Masondo’s punishment was harsh and did not seek to build him but rather destroy him. She said the decision by the commission would make ANC leaders reluctant to voluntarily approach the commission as Masondo did.
Mashamba and ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe did not respond to requests for comment.