ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the party excluded people who are on step-aside on its list to Parliament and provincial legislatures, but those who are accused of corruption in the Zondo Commission are part of the list.
He said the party went through a rigorous process in selecting candidates who will represent it in Parliament.
When the National Executive Committee (NEC) held a special meeting to finalise the list, it did not even discuss the issue of people who are on step-aside. Those are ANC members who are already charged and their cases are before court.
But people who have been implicated in the Zondo Commission had been included on the list because they went through the party’s Integrity Commission.
Mbalula and head of the ANC’s Electoral Committee Kgalema Motlanthe were on Monday briefing the media on the list of candidates that was submitted to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
He said nothing will be swept under the carpet. There were 20 ANC members who appeared before the Zondo Commission into State Capture. Out of the 20 people, only six were included on the list to Parliament.
Mbalula said each of the six members has been attended by the ANC.
“We supported the Zondo Commission. Zondo has made specific recommendations about individuals that they must be investigated. If people are arrested, the ANC will act on that like we have done. Comrade Kgalema (Motlanthe) just addressed you on the issue that in our list, we had people on a step-aside, they were not allowed on the list. We had people who had criminal records, and they were taken off the list. That is what has happened. Nobody who is on a step-aside who is on the ANC list,” said Mbalula.
“Issues that we did not even discuss is the issue of people on step-aside. They were taken off our list.”
Motlanthe said the Electoral Committee of the ANC has done its work.
He said their role was to implement the rules, and those with criminal records were excluded from the list.
He said other people underwent internal ANC processes, including appearing before the Integrity Commission.
The Integrity Commission made recommendations to the NEC.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
Politics