Nearly three years since the State Capture Report was released, the ANC has finally taken a step towards addressing the allegations by serving disciplinary notices to four senior officials implicated in the scandal.
Former ministers Zizi Kodwa and Malusi Gigaba, along with current Water and Sanitation Minister David Mahlobo, and the Chair of the House Committee in the National Assembly Cedric Frolick, have been summoned to appear before the party’s National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) to answer charges related to their involvement in state capture.
According to ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, the officials are facing charges for failing to appear before the Integrity Commission and for their alleged involvement in state capture.
Mahlobo is accused of bribing judges during his tenure as the State Security minister. Gigaba, the former minister of Finance, is implicated for conspiring with former president Jacob Zuma and the Gupta family.
Frolick is accused of having dodgy dealings with Bosasa while Kodwa, the former minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture, allegedly received direct payments and luxury accommodation from a well-known company.
“The disciplinary hearings will likely focus on the officials’ responses to these allegations and their failure to appear before the Integrity Commission,” the ANC said.
However, Mbalula defended Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister and party chairperson Gwede Mantashe, who was also implicated in the report after he allegedly received security installations from Bosasa at no charge.
Mbalula said the reason Mantashe had not received a letter was because he had answered the call to appear before the committee and explain himself.
Political analyst Sandile Swana said the ANC should be giving a criteria as to how they are choosing these individuals because there was a long list of officials having been implicated in wrongdoing.
“If we were to take the list of individuals who are implicated in many offences including Khumbudzo Ntshaveni and others… There are many lists, there is the VBS list, the State Capture list… we need to know what is the process of going through these lists… and how you select who must go first.”
Swana said Mbalula’s move could easily be seen as him flexing his muscles and asserting authority.
“If Fikile Mbalula is flexing his muscles, he will again be said to be attacking people on a factional basis or some other hidden reasons that are not clear to the public or to the general members of the ANC nor its NEC members.
“If he is flexing his muscles, he is dividing the organisation. Looking at the list, I cannot say why these particular people have been chosen at this time because offences were established long ago.”
He added the ANC had lost credibility around the state capture issue.
“In the Top 7, you have people like Nomvula Mokonyane, Gwede Mantashe, and so on… people who did a lot of damage within the state and are actually deployed by the chairman of the deployment committee president Cyril Ramaphosa himself into the state. The ANC failed to use the state capture report to remove people who are in the executive structures of the ANC.
“This step by Fikile Mbalula just adds to the uncertainty and the damage to the brand of the ANC and gives very little hope that renewal is systematically being implemented,” Swana said.
The ANC Veterans’ League has welcomed the move, stating that it is crucial for the party’s renewal.
However, the league’s president, Snuki Zikalala, expressed disappointment at the slow pace of law enforcement agencies in addressing the allegations.
Meanwhile,the ANC has also served a letter to another senior official, Obed Bapela, who is facing separate charges of misconduct.