The national executive committee (NEC) of the African National has resolved to “act with firmness and resolve” against corruption in the party’s ranks.
In a statement on Monday following a meeting of the committee at the weekend, spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama and secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe said the organisation will act “against any members of the ANC found guilty of any misdemeanour”.
Their statement follows the conviction of eight MPs from the ruling party for fraud through Parliament’s travel-voucher scheme. The party has promised to act against all those convicted once the process of conviction is completed for all MPs facing charges of fraud.
A further batch of its MPs or former MPs — together with three official opposition Democratic Alliance members — face trial early next month.
The NEC said in a statement that the party will reinforce in practice “the long-standing and defining values of the movement — service to the people, selflessness, honesty and integrity”.
The committee also agreed to “further elaborate through clear organisational guidelines to ANC leaders and members issues of participation of public officials in business, matters of conflict of interest, abuse of power and so forth in the context of the ANC constitution, existing policies, and the values and traditions of the movement.
“In all this, we are guided by the principle that the ANC is a voluntary organisation, which people join with the express purpose of serving the people of South Africa.” — I-Net Bridge