Fomer Justice Minister Thembi Simelane. (Photo by Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
The ANC national executive committee (NEC) will this weekend discuss how to improve the party’s step-aside guidelines and give its integrity commission more power to hold those found wanting accountable.
The Mail & Guardian understands that the NEC will discuss the terms of reference of the integrity commission, and the new step-aside guidelines.
The NEC will also discuss the diagnosis reports of the organisation and rebuilding of the party after its electoral losses on 29 May.
The ANC’s step-aside rule compels party members who have been criminally charged to relinquish their party positions pending acquittal or conviction.
However, there are some in the organisation who believe that those who bring the organisation into disrepute, but who have not been charged, should also step aside.
Others believe this will create a problem as anyone can raise allegations against any party member without proof and the affected member will be forced to step-aside.
If the step-aside rules are amended to force those who have brought the party’s image into disrepute without being formally charged to step aside, it will impact justice minister Thembi Simelane and Limpopo social development MEC Florence Radzilani for their alleged involvement in the VBS saga.
The ANC Veterans League (ANCVL) has been in full support of the amendments and for increasing the commission’s powers.
ANCVL president Snuki Zikalala told the Mail & Guardian this week that those who have the interests of the organisation at heart should not have to wait until they are charged to step aside.
Zikalala said conscious, committed and dedicated ANC members “should be able to do this with ease” if they are serious about renewal and removing the stigma that the ANC is corrupt.
He said that once there are allegations against an individual, it affects the integrity and dignity of the party.
“You can’t say I’ll wait for myself to be charged. The best thing is to step down and immediately when the charges come, you appear in court and clear your name,” he said.
Zikalala also called for party members to respect the integrity commission resolutions and recommendations if they are serious about the renewal process.
Last year, only 34 of the 97 ANC leaders who were recommended to appear before the party’s integrity commission over their role in state capture, did so.
Zikalala said the integrity commission’s decision should be taken seriously and that all of those ANC members who failed to appear when summoned should be taken before a disciplinary committee.
He said the veterans of the ANC who are part of the integrity commission have taken time to serve the organisation while they could be sitting at home taking care of their grandchildren, instead of being disrespected.
“We want the ANC to bite. People must understand that immediately they step on the toes of the integrity commission, there must be consequences,” he said.
“Immediately if the organisation accepts the decision of the integrity commission, people will be afraid to steal from society. They will know that immediately if you steal or are fingered, that’s the end of you and the ANC won’t even support you.”
“People will be afraid to dirty their hands. People will be afraid to get involved in malfeasance and people will know that no individual is going to protect them.”
He said that the party needed to identify and groom young leaders who were not tainted by corruption to understand the values, principles and vision of the organisation.
“We believe that they will be identified, people who are incorruptible.”
ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji told the M&G the integrity commission is important and should be given more power and more teeth as the “obsession is to restore the integrity of the ANC”.
“You can’t set up an integrity commission and not give it enough power to do its work. We have committed as the ANC that we will clean the ANC and take it back to basics, it will be an ANC that is loved and respected and cleaned out of corruption or any other bad behaviour.
“If elders of the ANC say they are ready to assist, it is us who have called them at the conference that they must come and assist.Now we must give them more powers to do their work.”