ANC says it will not take action against indicted former Cabinet minister Bongo

THE ANC has indicated it would not take action against former cabinet minister Bongani Bongo after his arrest and appearance in court this week.

The party said it was also unhappy about the spat between Bongo and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Bongo had accused Gordhan of being behind his arrest by the Hawks.

But Gordhan had said Bongo was wrong and he should look at what he had done.

The former minister of state security was charged by the Hawks with several charges of corruption.

He is accused of trying to bribe former senior legal official in Parliament advocate Ntuthuko Vanara during an inquiry into Eskom.

ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe said yesterday it was worrying there have been allegations by Bongo and Gordhan against each other.

Bongo had said Gordhan had told him he was going to face arrest.

But Gordhan said Bongo was talking nonsense and was hallucinating.

“It is important, as a matter of principle to try and find a platform to thrash out these things,” said Mabe.

He indicated that the party would not take action against Bongo as the matter was still pending in court.

The prosecution has said it wants the matter to be tried in the High Court and not the lower court.

ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina had said earlier she would also not be able to deal with the matter as Bongo was deployed by the party in the National Legislature.

The Hawks had said 10 other people would be arrested for the R630 million tender fraud for toilets in the Eastern Cape.

Top local government official Goodman Ntandazo Vimba was one of the 10 people who were released on bail yesterday.

Vimba is the chief executive of the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent, which is under the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

The suspects were released on bail of between R10000 and R40000 and would appear in the East London court in February next year.

Mabe said ANC members should reach out to each other and not squabble in public.

“It doesn’t help the ANC when our own comrades are pulling in different directions,” he said.

It was also a concern when the party was caught up in a situation when its members would make allegations against each other.

Bongo was the minister of state security but he did not make it back into the Cabinet last year.

This followed the appointment of President Cyril Ramaphosa after former president Jacob Zuma resigned in February last year.