[ad_1]
President Cyril Ramaphosa. (GCIS)
- The ANC’s integrity commission should not be afraid to punish a president, says Cyril Ramaphosa.
- Ramaphosa says he told the commission that legal proceedings should be developed before he appears before it.
- The ANC has decided to further strengthen the commission and the party’s NEC will comment on this soon.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the ANC’s integrity commission’s criticism of him because he said it showed the body to be completely independent and courageous.
The commission, in a report published shortly before Christmas last year, accused Ramaphosa of trying to evade appearing before it for a year and a half, but finally did so in November.
In an interview on Saturday with SABC’s Mzwandile Mbeje, Ramaphosa said:
“I would say, yes, they were right to punish me because that, in itself, proves that they are independent. They will not say, ‘This is a president and we should not have said that. integrity commission “.
Ramaphosa did not address the substance of her accusations against him.
The commission said it was disappointed that, for 18 months, it had been requesting Ramaphosa, verbally and in writing, to meet, and that it appeared to evade the commission by saying that legal process had to occur first.
Ramaphosa also insisted on bringing in lawyers, which is not allowed because the commission does not deal with legal matters.
READ ALSO: ANC integrity commission annoys Ramaphosa and passes the ball to the party’s disciplinary committee
Logistical problems
“Those were logistical problems,” Ramaphosa said of the delays. “When the integrity commission asked me to appear before them, I suggested, and the president [George Mashamba] accepted – that there are all these many ongoing cases and court proceedings.
“In order for the integrity commission to have a complete picture, isn’t it better that we wait for these other formal processes, and once they’re done, we should continue?”
Ramaphosa has been accused of wrongdoing for having used campaign funds to “buy votes” at the party’s 2017 Nasrec conference.
In March last year, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria overturned the findings of the public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane in this regard, saying that she had acted illegally, recklessly and without jurisdiction. The matter was taken to the Constitutional Court in November and is pending judgment.
Ramaphosa said that he was the one who initiated contact with the integrity commission, but did not make it clear exactly whether he made this decision before his appearance in November or in mid-2019 when the commission said correspondence began with him.
“I said that many of these [legal processes] now they are complete; Maybe this is the time for me to come and explain myself to the integrity commission. It is not a question of who was running away. Of course, they are concerned about the delay because it has been a long delay, but the integrity commission is an important structure of the ANC, which I respect as president. “
The commission must be strengthened
Ramaphosa also said that this was the reason why he announced on Friday night, delivering the party’s January 8 communiqué, that the commission should be strengthened.
“It is made up of unconditional members of our movement, people with deep experience, but who have no interest of any kind, whether in office, financial or in any other way, and for that reason we must invest trust in them and give them respect what do you require. . “
In the ANC statement on January 8, which Ramaphosa delivered on Friday night, the party said that the integrity commission must be strengthened “so that it can act decisively, without fear or favoritism.”
Those who are “accused of or reported to be involved in corrupt practices must immediately be held accountable to the integrity commission or face disciplinary proceedings,” the statement read.
“Members who do not provide an acceptable explanation or who do not voluntarily withdraw while facing disciplinary, investigative or impeachment proceedings will be summarily suspended.”
The party’s national executive committee (CNE) will soon finalize guidelines on the implementation of these resolutions.
“Only by standing together against corruption can we restore the integrity of our movement,” according to the statement.
READ ALSO: Statement of January 8: ANC again promises renewal within its ranks
Last month, the commission, in a report on corruption charges faced by the party’s general secretary, Ace Magashule, regarding corruption in a tender for asbestos eradication in the Free State, recommended that he resign.
