What might convince the ruling party to release its contentious cadre deployment records, a matter eagerly pursued by the opposition, remains a question as the DA exhausts all available avenues.
These two political rivals appear locked in an enduring power struggle, with the ruling party treating its cadre deployment records and policies as closely guarded secrets.
In a further bid to bolster its position in this prolonged battle, the DA is now seeking to have ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula held in contempt of court.
“In response to the ANC’s defiance of this court ruling, the DA is approaching the court for an order of contempt and will seek the committal to prison of ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula,” said DA MP Leon Schreiber on Friday.
“Since the ANC’s doomed appeal at the SCA [Supreme Court of Appeal] was filed under Mbalula’s name, he has made himself guilty of the same contempt of court offence that led to the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma.”
Earlier in September, the ANC suffered a legal setback when the SCA ruled against the party’s attempt to keep its cadre deployment records confidential.
The party has been facing mounting pressure to disclose these records following a high court ruling that declared its refusal as “unlawful and invalid”.
The records encompass a range of documents including minutes from the cadre deployment committee, WhatsApp conversations, e-mails, and CVs.
The DA has argued that the records are crucial for shedding light on how ANC policies and practices influenced key appointments within state institutions.
Schreiber initiated the legal proceedings after his Promotion of Access to Information Act application for the release of cadre deployment records was denied in 2021.
He asserted that the ANC’s cadre deployment policy played a significant role in fostering corruption and state capture, making transparency in this matter paramount to the public.
The ANC was ordered to hand over the records by September 8, but instead it reportedly communicated, with the DA, its intention to appeal the matter in the Constitutional Court.
According to Schreiber, the governing party was then afforded 15 days to file its appeal, with the deadline falling on September 20.
However, the party has not done so.
“It is clear that the ANC has realised that any appeal to the Constitutional Court is doomed to fail,” Schreiber said.
“But the DA will not allow the ANC to get away with this latest attempt at using Stalingrad tactics to undermine the cause of justice.
“The people of South Africa have an inalienable right of access to information contained in the ANC’s cadre deployment records, because these documents demonstrate how the party illegally interfered in public appointment processes to deploy the cadres who captured and corrupted the state under the chairmanship of [President Cyril] Ramaphosa.”
Schreiber explained further: “In the next phase of our quest to expose and abolish the ANC cadre deployment corruption that has destroyed service delivery, the DA will send Fikile Mbalula to prison for undermining the right of South Africans to access the vital information contained in the ANC’s cadre deployment records.”
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