President Cyril Ramaphosa qualifies to contest for a second term as the governing party’s president since the party’s integrity commission has not made a finding against him.
This is the view of ANC electoral committee secretary Chief Livhuwani Matsila, after it emerged that the commission, headed by veteran leader George Mashamba, refused to attend a meeting of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) held on Friday, where they were expected to file a report on the Phala Phala theft saga.
A meeting of the party’s NEC on Monday decided that the commission should present all its reports for the year in preparation for the party’s elective conference on Friday.
It was widely expected that the report into Ramaphosa’s controversial Phala Phala farm would be tabled and become a rallying point for calls for him to step down.
However, the commission is said to have told the organisation’s secretariat, led by acting secretary general Paul Mashatile, that they were not honouring the instruction for them to attend the meeting.
An NEC member said members of the commission could not agree on what sanction they should impose on Ramaphosa, while there were also unconfirmed reports that the commission refused to attend after some executive members recently leaked its report on the issue to the media.
A leaked progress report into Phala Phala showed that the integrity commission said the NEC was too divided to have a proper discussion on the farm saga. The commission could not apportion blame on Ramaphosa for the scandal.
Yesterday, Matsila told Sunday World that the president would be given the green light by the committee because there were no findings against him by the integrity commission.
The electoral committee, which is also charged with vetting all candidates vying for the top six positions and the 80-member NEC, also told this paper that it will tomorrow release a list of candidates who did not make it.
Former social development minister Bathabile Dlamini and NEC member Tony Yengeni have already been told that they are not eligible to be nominated to the NEC.
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