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With an arrest warrant against him and facing corruption charges, ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule will remain in office even after his court appearance on Friday.
The ANC has backtracked on its August anti-corruption decisions and says it has not asked its Secretary General Ace Magashule to step aside and does not expect him to.
Magashule faces various corruption and mismanagement charges related to his terms as Free State Prime Minister and is scheduled to make a first appearance in Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on Friday, November 13.
“We don’t dispute that (he) resigned. The issue of resignation is still a matter for the NEC (national executive committee), ”said the party’s general treasurer, Paul Mashatile.
At a special CNE anti-corruption meeting in August, the party reaffirmed a 2015 resolution that “those accused of corruption and other serious crimes against the people, including those accused in court, can be expected to stand aside. of their positions or responsibilities “and said that corruption had made …” collectively plunge our heads in shame and humiliate ourselves before the people. “
But Magashule received a hospital pass from the ANC despite facing a series of rand 255 million Free State-related corruption charges. asbestos audit. Assistant Secretary General Jessie Duarte said the NEC had put its decision to “step aside” in the background and would take “serious legal advice” because in other cases, the charges were dropped and the court cases had become complicated.
You will likely discuss the step-aside resolution at your next NEC meeting. There will not be a special executive meeting to discuss the charges Magashule faces.
No posters, marches or protests in court
Duarte said that Magashule did not want protests in court – “(there should be) marches, no T-shirts and posters printed in his name” – and revealed that “great tensions were brewing” in the ANC and especially in its Free State Headquarters. after Magashule’s arrest warrant was issued on November 10.
The ANC will not prevent supporters from going to court, but they may not go to the ANC team (a ban the factions have serially ignored). Duarte said: “We will not interfere with the law enforcement processes. We expect that of all our members. “
The ANC’s statement was intermediate, revealing how the charges have caused unrest in the ruling party: while it cannot force Magashule to withdraw, Duarte and Mashatile repeatedly made anti-corruption statements. “We need to show our people that we take infractions very seriously”; “No leader should support any act of corruption”; and “The judiciary is independent according to our Constitution and we respect it.”
Ekurhuleni Mayor Threatens Civil Unrest on Twitter
Posting the Magashule order on his page, Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina tweeted: “Now is a time of civil unrest, we cannot allow the abuse of state institutions to have future political ends. This is wrong, the elected must implement our resolutions and arrest white teachers so that we believe they are genuine. “He added a second tweet:” Detaining apartheid-based leaders is pointless. I reject this arrest and will be in the court with my SG to support him against this democratic disgrace ”.
Masina later deleted the tweets. The head of the party’s crime and corruption task force, Tony Yengeni, also opposed the order and the charges against Magashule.
The ANC has also backed down against its constitutional provision that ANC leaders facing serious charges should stand aside or be suspended. Say what:
“When a public representative, official or member has been accused of appearing before a court of law for any charge, the secretary general … acting under the authority of the NEC … if he is satisfied that the temporary suspension of such (person ) is in the best interest of the Organization, may suspend said public representative, official or member … “
ANC members ignore Ramaphosa’s anti-corruption measures
Magashule is part of a line of ANC leaders facing charges for ignoring President Cyril Ramaphosa’s seven-page letter to members in August promising a turning point against corruption. In it, he reiterated the step aside rule, but in KwaZulu-Natal, Mike Mabuyakhulu has returned to work; and in Parliament, ANC deputy Bongani Bongo has refused to resign despite being a party to a criminal case currently in court. DM
