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By Baldwin Ndaba 
11h ago
Johannesburg – The ANC said it was concerned that some of its members were responsible for the leak of the Integrity Commission report that urged the party to force its general secretary, Ace Magashule, to step aside.
Magashule will not step aside despite facing criminal charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering against him.
An arrest warrant was issued for the former Free State prime minister and he appeared in Bloemfontein Superior Court in connection with the R255 asbestos saga last month.
During a press conference on Tuesday, ANC spokesman Pule Mabe expressed disappointment at the widespread dissemination of the report, although he confirmed that top ANC leaders were aware of the report.
“We call on ANC members to desist from leaking information that could sponsor the division in the ANC. Senior officials and the National Executive Committee must have space to address the issues that come their way, ”warned Mabe.
He was adamant that the NEC did not deny the existence of the report, but emphasized that the alleged leak occurred before Magashule presented its case before the first NEC meeting scheduled for January.
Mabe lamented the fact that the Integrity Commission through its chairman George Mashamba issued a statement on December 10, two days before Magashule’s appearance before the committee.
In the statement, Mashamba told the media that his committee was accountable to the NEC and respects its processes and procedures.
“We will not respond to any media inquiries or speculative comments before or during the engagement. Once the engagement is complete, we will issue a statement confirming that it happened and outlining the process that should be followed. “
But according to Mabe, the Integrity Commission was only responsible for presenting its report to national officials to allow them to discuss the report and to give Magashule and the commission enough time to deliberate on it before making its findings public.
He was adamant that the report was leaked, but failed to name the culprits.
Mabe said there would be no urgent NEC meeting to discuss the commission’s report, but said that “the NEC, at the right time, will commit to the report.”
Meanwhile, the district attorney says he took note of reports indicating that the ANC’s Integrity Commission had recommended that Magashule step aside pending the outcome of his corruption charges.
DA national spokesman Siviwe Gwarube said the party has long held the view that the ANC was unable to act against its “own corrupt leaders because the rot is deep.”
Political Bureau
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