Bathabile Dlamini disqualified from standing for ANC’s National Executive Committee

Bathabile Dlamini speaking at Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's Birthday celebration in Senaone, Soweto. Photo by Lucky Nxumalo

By Velani Ludidi

8 Dec 2022

The head of the ANC’s Electoral Committee, Kgalema Motlanthe, sent Dlamini a letter in which he explained that a process to vet nominees had found information which negatively affected her eligibility to stand for nomination as a candidate for any NEC positions.

Former ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini has been dealt a huge blow after being disqualified from standing for the National Executive Committee (NEC) at the party’s national elective conference next week.

Dlamini was one of the front-runners in the race for NEC positions, making it to number 15 on the list released by the committee last week after receiving 856 branch nominations.

On Wednesday, the ANC’s Electoral Committee head, Kgalema Motlanthe, sent Dlamini a letter in which he explained that a process to vet nominees had found information which negatively affected Dlamini’s eligibility to stand for nomination as a candidate for any NEC positions, including as an additional member.

“The vetting information at our disposal reveals that you have a historical record of being guilty of a serious crime in a court of law for which the prison sentence had been more than six months,” reads the letter.

This relates to a court ruling this year which found the former minister of social development guilty of perjury for lying under oath during an inquiry into the social grants debacle at the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa).

She was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment or a R200,000 fine, and opted for the latter.

Dlamini had concealed from the judge that she had set up a parallel structure to Sassa with “workstreams” that reported directly to her.

The saga began in 2012 and was fought long and hard, beginning with a Constitutional Court ruling in 2014 that the contract between Sassa and Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) was invalid.

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“To be specific, you are summarily disqualified as a candidate for all NEC positions including additional members during the 55th national conference as per… rules which have been approved by the NEC,” states Motlanthe’s letter.

Dlamini is a strong ally of former president Jacob Zuma and led the Women’s League before it was dissolved earlier this year. She is still an influential member of the ruling party and this was proven again in the nomination list released recently.

On her Facebook profile, Dlamini posted the letter from Motlanthe, accusing the Electoral Committee of manipulating electoral processes.

Bathabile Dlamini speaks at Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's birthday celebration in Senaone, Soweto. (Photo: Lucky Nxumalo)

“How do they inform you of the vetting process after releasing the list?” reads the post. “No electoral process or conference rule is above the constitution of the ANC and this I will fight tooth and nail no patriarchy will purge me from the ANC no bra scap [sic] will purge me and no tribalism and ethnicity will purge me no narrow nationalism will purge me I am sorry.”

Another member who was found to have lied under oath is former finance minister Malusi Gigaba. He received the second-highest number of nominations for the NEC. He resigned as minister in 2018 after his last bid to appeal against a court finding that he lied under oath was dismissed by the Constitutional Court. DM

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