ANC on cadre deployment policy: We ‘have nothing to hide’

ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri rejected what she called “fevered speculation driven by the DA” regarding the governing party’s cadre development policy and deployment strategy.

This comes after the party handed over the cadre deployment records to the Democratic Alliance (DA) following an order by the Constitutional Court, which forced the ruling party to disclose the records after three years of refusals.

ANC: A NUMBER OF RECORDS FROM 2018 TO 2021 WERE HANDED OVER

She told Timeslive that a number of the records for the period 2018–2021 were handed over to the Zondo Commission as far back as 2021 and were the subject of thorough scrutiny by the commission, including in testimony by President Cyril Ramaphosa and other senior leaders of the party.

“The ANC has nothing to hide,” said Bhengu-Motsiri.

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NO MINUTES FOUND FOR MEETINGS HELD BETWEEN 2012 AND 2017

She said that the party had indicated to the commission as far back as June 2021 that it searched for the committee’s minutes for the period December 2012 to December 2017, and no minutes of the meetings for that period could be found.

Bhengu-Motsiri said DA MP Leon Schreiber, who made the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application for the information from the ANC, and his party were aware of this but chose “to engage in deliberate misrepresentation, threats, and false expectations of what might be contained in the records.

ANC REJECTS DA THREATS TO LAY CHARGES OF CONTEMPT OF COURT

“In his testimony to the Zondo commission, President Cyril Ramaphosa committed that the ANC would do everything in its power to find the records. The ANC has done so and will hand over all records that have been found, and give an explanation regarding those records which either do not exist or have not been able to be found,” said Bhengu-Motsiri.

She said the ANC rejects the DA’s threats to lay charges of contempt of court against its leadership. She said the party had followed all requirements of the Promotion of Access to Information Act in complying with the court order.