ANC Electoral Committee head Kgalema Motlanthe Picture: Itumeleng English/African News Agency (ANA)
Cape Town - The ANC electoral committee was still looking at the reports of the party’s integrity committee which made recommendations on candidates that have been nominated to contest the top six positions.
On Tuesday, the electoral committee named the 16 candidates vying for the top leadership positions.
However, it has emerged that some of the integrity committee’s reports were noted by the national executive committee and their status of enforcement was unknown.
This takes place against the backdrop of the integrity committee still to submit its report to the NEC following its interaction with President Cyril Ramaphosa over the theft of millions of dollars on his Phala Phala farm two years ago.
In the wake of their media briefing this week, secretary of electoral committee, Livhuwani Matsila, said they were still looking at the reports of the integrity on the candidates that were named for the top six positions.
“We received them and the final determination will be made once we are sure those reports have been accepted by the NEC independently.
“That is work in progress,” he said.
However, Matsila said some of the Integrity Committee’s reports appeared to have been noted by the NEC and their status was difficult to enforce.
“Where the integrity committee ruled adversely, such rulings weren’t implemented in some cases. That will be taken up within the internal structures of the ANC,” he added.
It is understood that the integrity committee has previously met some of the nominated candidates, including Ramaphosa, former health minister Zweli Mkhize, national chairperson Gwede Mantashe and Deputy Finance Minister David Masondo.
Last week, ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile told the media that the integrity committee was still working on the report related to Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala.
They have not sent a report to us except that a draft report was leaked in the media but there is no report that has come to ANC because they are not ready yet,” Mashatile told the media at the time.
As part of the nomination process, candidates vying or contesting are expected to declare the funding for their campaigns.
Matsila said this week they had seen a growing trend among the candidates who were declaring the donors to their campaigns.
“Most have indicated once they accept the nomination that they will declare,” he said.
“It is also an ongoing exercise that has credibility and respect among those nominated. We believe we are on the right track,” Matsila said.
Chairperson of the electoral committee, Kgalema Motlanthe, has stated that the party’s rules didn’t allow nominees to pay for expenses of the delegates to the conference to be held between December 16 and 20.
“You can’t sponsor as a nominee any group of delegates. You can't quarantine them and you can't offer them anything. The rules are clear that all delegates should use accommodation provided for by the organisation.”
The former president noted that in the past some of the delegates would have been kept away from everyone else – from the manner they were transported from provinces and where they were accommodated throughout the conference.
“The national conference is a structure in terms of the ANC constitution once it is convened.
“The idea and the spirit of it is that you are there to influence and be influenced by others. You have to interact with other delegates, of course, armed by your own mandate from your own branch,” Motlanthe said.
Cape Times