[ad_1]
By Samkelo Mtshali 
7h ago
Johannesburg – ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule appeared before the party’s Integrity Commission on Saturday, but the party remained silent on the results of the meeting.
Magashule was ordered to appear before the commission to explain the 21 counts of fraud, corruption and money laundering that he faces in Bloemfontein Magistrates Court.
“We are not going to be preventive at this stage, we must allow the integrity commission, which is a structure established by the National Executive Committee, to do its job. Once the NEC has received the report from the integrity commission, we will be able to interact, ”said Pule Mabe, ANC spokesperson.
He could not be drawn to share the nature of Magashule’s presentations to the commission.
“Only when the National Executive Committee finalizes the reports will we be able to continue deliberating,” Mabe said.
On Friday, commission chair George Mashamba said that once the engagement (with Magashule) has been completed, they will issue a statement confirming that it has happened and outlining the process that will be followed (to decide the matter).
Mashamba said: “We understand the level of public interest, not only among the members of the ANC but 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.
He stressed that the commission as a structure of the NEC is accountable to the body and respected its processes and procedures.
In his political brief at the party’s NEC meeting last weekend, ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa said they had a direct instruction to renew the organization; complete with a clear resolution on rebuilding the integrity and credibility of the ANC.
“At the NEC meeting on August 28-30, we made firm and unequivocal decisions on the fight against corruption within our structures and throughout society. These decisions were made directly from the decisions of the 54th National Conference.
“We describe our stance as ‘a line in the sand’, representing our collective determination not to give ground in the fight against corruption,” Ramaphosa said.
During that August NEC meeting, Ramaphosa asked leaders who had been accused of corruption to step aside in a move that he claimed was an indication that the ANC was drawing a line between him and the corrupt leaders.
“ANC cadres who are formally charged with corruption or other serious crimes should immediately withdraw from all leadership positions in the ANC, legislatures or other government structures pending completion of their cases,” Ramaphosa said at that moment.
During the last NEC meeting of the ANC, the party received five legal opinions on whether party members accused of corruption could be forced to stand aside and were presented to the NEC and deliberated by the highest decision-making structure of the ruling party.
Magashule had previously said that only the branches of the ANC that had elected him would have the right to ask him to step aside.
Political Bureau
[ad_2]
