Former African National Congress (ANC) chief whip Mbulelo Goniwe will receive a new disciplinary hearing for alleged sexual misconduct after the previous process was found to have been procedurally flawed, the party said on Saturday.
In December, Goniwe was found guilty of bringing the organisation into disrepute and was expelled from the party for three years after allegations that he sexually harassed a woman.
”The NEC [national executive committee] found the disciplinary process to be procedurally flawed,” read a statement issued after the committee’s second regular meeting of the year.
”In the interests of fairness, the NEC decided that the matter should be reheard by a new disciplinary committee.”
Goniwe’s membership of the ANC would be reinstated for the purpose of the new hearing.
During the meeting, the committee also reviewed progress of the political and logistical preparations for its 52nd national conference to be held at the University of Limpopo in Polokwane from December 15 to 20.
The committee ”welcomed the enthusiasm with which ANC structures have engaged in debate around the policy discussion documents distributed in March. The depth and extent of these discussions reinforce the culture of open and robust debate within the ANC and democratic movement.”
The NEC appreciated the contribution of its alliance partners and other sectors to these debates, and the ”manner in which these issues have been taken up in the media and broader society”.
Branch- and regional-level discussions will culminate in provincial general councils within the next few weeks, and the outcomes of these will inform deliberations at its national policy conference between June 27 and 30 at Gallagher Estate, Midrand.
Draft resolutions emanating from this will be considered ahead of December’s conference.
Turning to public service wage negotiations, the ANC said it was ”informed” by the principles of real inflation-related salary increases, performance-related increases, pay progression and special dispensations for specific categories of employees such as teachers and nurses.
The NEC encouraged all parties to return to the negotiating table and said essential services should not be interrupted if there is strike action. — Sapa