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By Sihle Mavuso 
1 hour ago
AFTER an intense virtual meeting of the ANC’s National Executive Committee (CNE) that lasted two days, it was agreed that the embattled secretary general of the ruling party, Ace Magashule, should explain himself to the integrity commission.
This surprising decision was announced by the party’s leader, Cyril Ramaphosa, while delivering his closing speech to the meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
On November 13, Magashule appeared before the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on charges of allegedly playing a corrupt hand in the 255 million rand asbestos project that happened while he was Prime Minister of the Free State.
He is currently out on bail of 200,000 rand pending the resumption of the case in February, when he will appear with the likes of Edwin Sodi.
In his preamble announcing the party’s action against Magashule, Ramaphosa said that the ruling party’s stance on corruption and on members accused of corruption has not changed.
This was in reference to the fact that they attended the highly charged meeting with the expectation that they would have to withdraw a lawsuit (as advised by some legal experts) that members accused of corruption should withdraw even before being found guilty.
Instead, Ramaphosa emphasized that there would be “backtracking” from his 54th national conference and August resolutions that members accused of wrongdoing should step aside. However, he added that party officials are still trying to finalize the guidelines on how it would be implemented.
He then announced that the NEC meeting welcomed Magashule’s commitment to go to the integrity commission, chaired by party veteran George Mashamba, and present his case.
“It is in this sense that we welcome the decision of our secretary general to appear before the integrity commission on December 12, 2020.
” The officials (the first six) will process the results of that commitment and the determination of the integrity commission and will report to the NWC (national working committee) and the NEC within the broad context of the guidelines to be put together – he announced while a stone-faced Magashule watched from the sidelines, sometimes nodding incoherently.
While this could be seen as a victory for the Ramaphosa faction, who attended the meeting convinced that it could force Magashule to step aside and eventually withdraw, it could be seen as a minor victory for the secretary-general, as he did not he was totally expelled pending his meeting with the commission.
Political Bureau
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