ANC’s failed promise of renewal — same as it ever was; same as it ever was

11 Mar 2024

The ANC’s inclusion of several people implicated in State Capture on its list of candidates to represent the party in Parliament raises big questions about what positions they will occupy after the elections and severely weakens the ANC’s claim to be ethical.

The ANC has confirmed that Malusi Gigaba, David Mahlobo, Zizi Kodwa and Cedric Frolick are on the party’s list of candidates to go to Parliament after the 29 May elections. All have findings against them from the State Capture era.

At the same time, it appears that some important figures have been left off the list because they face criminal charges (this will only become clear once the national and provincial lists are released by the Electoral Commission).

For the moment, the focal point is those against whom findings of corruption have been made and who are known to have been included on the list, mainly because it is assumed that they will return to Parliament for the ANC after the elections.

However, it is not certain they will go to Parliament.

In 2009, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was included on the party’s lists but did not take a seat. Neither did Dina Pule, who was included on the lists in 2014.

But, if they do return to Parliament, a much bigger question is whether they will be appointed to important positions.

Let’s look at Gigaba.

The Zondo Commission found that he allegedly received cash payments during visits to the Gupta compound and should be investigated for corruption.

But before these findings, Gigaba had to resign from Cabinet. While much of the attention at the time focused on an unfortunate solo video he made, more important was the high court finding that he had lied under oath (his resignation was sparked by the Constitutional Court’s refusal to hear an appeal against that finding).

‘Ethical standards’

In his Monday briefing on the ANC’s lists, the party’s secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, was at pains to point out that the lists showed “our commitment to uphold ethical standards and hold our members accountable”.

It is difficult to see how including a liar on these lists can be squared with that commitment.

It was also claimed over the weekend that the ANC could have faced legal action by those omitted from the lists who had not been criminally charged.

It is hard to imagine a candidate for a position in a bank — or any other business, for that matter — going to court if they were not appointed because a finding of dishonesty had been made against them.

No company or reputable organisation would appoint to an important job a person legally proven to be a liar.

And yet it has become routine for such people to be appointed to positions in the ANC and the government, as well as at other political parties.

If a board were to make such an appointment, the shareholders would revolt (it is of course true that CEOs have committed fraud; Markus Jooste is a good example of this. But he committed the fraud after being appointed, not before. And there is always an exception: Tiger Brands appointed a CEO who had previously been disciplined over the bread price-fixing scandal.)

Then there is the question of what would happen should Gigaba end up in the new Parliament. Could he be appointed to Cabinet? After having to resign for lying? Can someone suddenly “un-lie”?

And what position could he occupy where trust is not an issue? Would President Cyril Ramaphosa have to push him into the Ministry of Arts and Culture, the well-known Siberia posting in the ANC government? Surely the good people in that sector have suffered enough…

Quandary

Within all of this is yet another dilemma for the ANC.

Several of the party’s leaders have been quoted in recent days as suggesting that those involved in State Capture had left the ANC and joined the uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party.

Can they continue to make such a claim when Gigaba is on their parliamentary list?

This will surely allow other parties to argue that there is very little difference between the wrongdoing of candidates on the ANC’s list and those on MK’s list.

For example, is there any difference between the wrongdoing of the ANC’s Gigaba (who acted for the Guptas while minister of public enterprises and of home affairs) and MK’s Des van Rooyen (who was installed as finance minister in 2015 with two Gupta-linked advisers)?

Could both of these people be back in Parliament in June?

If that is the case, it would show there is something fundamentally wrong with our politics. It would show that people proven to have committed wrongdoing can still be elected to represent voters in Parliament.

It would be a powerful sign that the ANC’s renewal is an electoral smokescreen and that nothing will change should it retain power. Until lists of only clean candidates are approved by the ruling party, voters will believe that nothing will change.

Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. DM

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‘Ethical standards’