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The Secretary General of the ANC, Ace Magashule. (Photo: Gallo Images / Esa Alexander)
The forthcoming appearance of ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule before the ANC Integrity Commission was hailed as an act of courage by ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe at a briefing on the results of the 6th ANC NEC meeting to December 8. Despite calls for Magashule to step aside, he remains the general secretary of the ruling party.
“The secretary general of the ANC has volunteered to appear before the Integrity Commission. This is an act of bravery that he has performed himself. Something for which the entire National Executive Committee, including the president, has praised him, ”said Pule Mabe of the ANC.
Mabe addressed a briefing Thursday on the results of the ANC NEC meeting on December 6-8.
A beleaguered Ace Magashule faces corruption charges after an arrest warrant was issued in November in connection with the 255 million rand. asbestos audit contract in the Free State.
Magashule, who will appear before the commission on December 12, informed the media about the results of the last meeting of the year of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
Mabe apparently intervened to defend Magashule from questions from journalists about whether she would abstain from NEC meetings in January to discuss the outcome of her appearance before the Integrity Commission.
Daily maverick Recently reported that Magashule will not step aside as the party’s general secretary, but will appear voluntarily before the Integrity Commission, a decision agreed upon by the NEC. This is despite the party’s rule, introduced at its 2017 National Conference, that members facing corruption charges or such accusations must resign their positions and “Present yourself” to the Party Integrity Commission.
The call was reiterated in a bold statement by President Cyril Ramaphosa to the feast in August.
The NEC ruled that the guidelines for implementing the bypass rule should be considered and adopted by the committee in early 2021. Until then, it appears Magashule will remain in place.
“The National Executive Committee reaffirmed that, as a voluntary organization, the ANC follows its constitution, rules, conference resolutions, decisions of the NEC and must, in all circumstances, operate within the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and the laws of the country. Magashule said. .
Three legal opinions presented at the meeting said the party could not force the leaders to step aside, as this went against the constitutional legal principle of being innocent until proven otherwise.
But the step aside rule has been implemented inconsistently. While Magashule remains fixed in her post, the president’s spokeswoman, Khusela Diko, was instructed to step aside after her husband was awarded controversial EPP contracts. Thandisizwe Diko. ANC MP Bongani Bongo, on the other hand, has refused to resign after being accused of corruption.
“The NEC emphasized in dealing with all these integrity and corruption issues, that corrective actions must be applied impartially to all members at all levels of the organization. He pointed out that any inconsistent application of the ANC’s constitution and rules will undermine the unity of the movement, ”Magashule said.
Late on Thursday, the ANC’s Integrity Commission issued the following statement:
The ANC Integrity Commission can confirm that it will collaborate with the ANC Secretary General, Cde Elias Ace Magashule; on Saturday, December 12, 2020.
It is important to note that the Commission is a structure of the NEC, is accountable to the NEC and fully respects its processes and procedures.
Therefore, we would like to point out the following to the media:
• We will not respond to any media inquiries or speculative comments before or during the engagement.
• Once the engagement has been completed, we will issue a statement confirming that it has happened and describing the process to follow.
We would appreciate the cooperation of the media throughout this process.
We understand the level of public interest, not only among ANC members but also in society in general, but we have a duty to respect protocol and process to ensure an outcome that is in line with our mandate. DM
