Needle in haystack: Nomvula Mokonyane is one of 97 ANC members called before the party’s integrity committee, but not one of the just five members who actually presented themselves before it. Photo: Alet Pretorius/Gallo
Only 34 of the 97 ANC leaders who were recommended to appear before the party’s integrity committee over their role in state capture will be discussed by the special national executive committee (NEC) when it meets on Monday.
The Mail & Guardian understands that the ANC slashed the number after deliberations by its national working committee, effectively letting about two-thirds of those implicated in state capture off the hook.
The ANC held a special NEC meeting on Wednesday where it adopted the elections committee report in the process to elect those who will be eligible as public representatives in provincial legislatures and parliament.
While the ruling party initially resolved to hold a national list conference, it’s likely that it will rather hold provincial conferences to decide on the final list.
The much-anticipated special NEC meeting to discuss those implicated in state capture is unlikely to produce outcomes, insiders told the M&G.
“Most of the people implicated in state capture are leaders and some of them are either in parliament, legislatures or structures.
“Judging by how the process has gone so far, it’s unlikely that there will be any major consequences,” one party leader said.
The integrity committee, which is headed by Frank Chikane, has made it known that it will ask for an amendment of the ANC’s step-aside resolution to include those who have been implicated in wrongdoing — not just those charged — to mitigate electoral losses next year and arrest the deterioration in the calibre of its members.
The party is also expected to deliberate on the terms of reference for the committee, an insider said.
In a previous interview with the M&G, Chikane said if the ANC failed to deal with those implicated in state capture, it would have problems during its nominations processes ahead of next year’s general elections.
“We are now nominating leaders to go to parliament and provincial administrations. If you don’t actually deal with these matters, people without integrity will find their way into the nomination list,” Chikane said at the time.
“The guidelines of the nomination process say where the committee has made a determination and the NEC has acted on it, that person can’t stand, can’t be nominated.”
The ANC has developed a reputation for failing to hold its national leaders accountable.
When the integrity committee summoned the 97 alleged state capture transgressors, only five appeared before it.
This was reported to party secretary general Fikile Mbalula, who then determined that those who had failed to appear before the committee of elders would be hauled before the party’s disciplinary committee.
This list included one of the ANC’s top-seven leaders Nomvula Mokonyane, who had failed to appear before the committee.
Late last month, Chikane told the M&G that none of those who had been identified to appear before the disciplinary committee — whose findings are binding in terms of the party constitution — had appeared before the body.
This is likely to become a sticking point when the NEC meets on Monday as senior leaders, including the ANC Veterans League, are of the view that none of those referred in the state capture report to the National Prosecuting Authority, and for further police investigation, should be eligible for nominations for the 2024 elections.
Veterans League deputy president Mavuso Msimang told the M&G it had never made sense for the party to have those implicated in state capture appear before the integrity committee.
“It is completely meaningless what the integrity committee says about them. The key issue is that the public has deserted the ANC in droves over a number of years …
“The people are convinced that, if the ANC took a decision that those appearing in the state capture report should not be allowed to stand in these lists, they will begin to take the ANC seriously and believe that the ANC is taking corruption seriously,” he said.
“We believe that the panic about not gaining the absolute majority would completely disappear if the people [implicated in state capture] were not nominated in these lists. The public would start to believe that, ‘Oh wow, the party is taking this seriously.’”
The ANC is facing another difficulty as one of its most popular leaders, former president Thabo Mbeki, is unlikely to campaign for the party ahead of the 2024 vote. The ANC is yet to discuss the matter with Mbeki.
He has previously expressed doubt about whether he would campaign.
In an interview with EWN, Mbeki, who has publicly criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa, called into question the party’s ability to follow through on commitments to cleanse itself, adding that he refused to mislead people.
“When you say I must go campaigning next year, to tell people to vote ANC, how am I going to do that when I know very well that the branch of the ANC in this constituency is led by a criminal? It’s not possible to go say vote ANC, to vote for a criminal,” Mbeki said during the interview.
The M&G understands that Mbeki’s statements angered some in the NEC.
In last month’s meeting, insiders said party chairperson Gwede Mantashe called for the NEC to hold the former president accountable for his statements during Aziz Pahad’s memorial service.
Mbeki had said that since the adoption of the ANC renewal resolution in 2017 and last year, nothing tangible had been done to implement it.
According to the NEC members, Mantashe’s efforts to have the NEC reprimand Mbeki were thwarted by Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Malusi Gigaba.
A recent voter survey conducted by the Social Research Foundation ranked Mbeki as the most favoured political leader in the country, while former president Jacob Zuma was found to be the most popular politician in KwaZulu-Natal, both surpassing Ramaphosa.
While the ANC KwaZulu-Natal has made it clear that Zuma is still a big drawcard, tension between him and the national leadership could hamper the party’s plans.
An insider close to Luthuli House said efforts by Mbalula to meet Zuma had been thwarted on three occasions. This was despite Zuma’s election as provincial chair of the South African National Civic Organisation, which is an ally of the ANC.
“The only person who former president Zuma has met from national is Mdu [Mdumiseni Ntuli]. The officials have not met with him and he does not want to meet with them.
“The last time he met with Bheki Mtolo was when they were elected. This demonstrates that he has no appetite to engage with them at any level,” the ANC insider said.
A regional leader in KwaZulu-Natal said a decision had been taken that Mbalula would handle all engagements with Zuma.
“They added provincial leaders to the list of those who would engage the former president, including Super Zuma, but we never received a report back on what came out of that.
“We are aware that he was campaigning in the General Gizenza region last week where he endorsed the ANC,” the regional leader said.
The ANC stands to lose both KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, with some projections indicating that its support will dip below 50% in both provinces.