The African National Congress (ANC) on Thursday welcomed the acquittal of national executive committee (NEC) member Billy Masetlha in the hoax-email case.
The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court acquitted Masetlha and his two co-accused, IT expert Muziwendoda Kunene and former National Intelligence Agency manager for electronic surveillance Funokwakhe Madlala, of fraud charges relating to hoax emails.
The hoax emails implicated senior ANC members in a conspiracy against then-deputy president Jacob Zuma.
”The ANC welcomes the acquittal by the court of NEC member Billy Masetlha and his two co-accused on charges of fraud and intercepting emails,” said party spokesperson Jessie Duarte in a statement.
She said the party had always maintained that there was a political motive behind the saga.
”We believe the whole email saga was meant to tarnish the image of the ANC and that of Masetlha, to undermine and sow divisions within the ANC leadership and the broader mass democratic movement,” said Duarte.
The ruling, she said, restored the ANC’s confidence in the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.
Earlier in the year, former Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils took to the stand, where he referred to Masetlha as someone he was ”wary” of.
Masetlha’s advocate, Neil Tuchten, said his client had been vindicated. — Sapa