Luthuli House has defended its boss Fikile Mbalula who has been dragged into the UIF deal bribery scandal by businessman Mthunzi Mdwaba.
The party on Thursday said Mbalula will not step aside because the allegations against him were “wild and untested”.
Mbalula has been dragged into the alleged R500m extortion by three ANC ministers.
The ministers allegedly demanded the money to have the frozen deal Mdwaba had scored with the UIF unfrozen.
Stamp of approval
According to Mdwaba, who allegedly refused the extortion advances, he was informed that Mbalula had given the bribery his blessings.
Mbalula on Thursday morning opened a case of criminal defamation against Mdwaba at the Sandton police station.
ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri addressed the media at Luthuli house on Thursday afternoon.
She said the party was fully behind its administration’s boss, who is not obliged to step aside until and only when, and if, he is charged.
The three ministers will first have to account to the ANC national officials, the National Working Committee (NWC) next week.
Thereafter they will appear before the Integrity Commission, according to Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri.
No stepping down
“The SG cannot step aside on the basis of a wild allegation that is untested.
“[Mdwaba], who has made the allegation, has a duty to report crime using relevant legislation,” she said.
“So there will be no basis for the SG to step aside … it will be on the basis of balance of evidence.
“I think South Africans should welcome the idea of the SG going to the police saying ‘I have nothing to hide’.
“Step aside happens in a case where there has been an investigation, and we are not yet there,” she said.
Bhengu-Motsiri said the ANC had its own internal investigative capacity.
This is there to scrutinise its own leaders, and those avenues will be explored immediately.
ANC’s internal probe
She said: “This matter is so fresh, and the Integrity Commission, the national officials and the NWC are yet to deliberate on it.
“They must given space to do so.
“We do have our own investigative capacity through the National Disciplinary Committee and the Integrity Commission.
“So, I would imagine these are the structures that are going to look into this matter.
“[They will] say what should be the posture of the ANC on our deployees mentioned in the allegations.”
