Gigaba, Dlamini, Mokonyane and Zwane make ANC list of MPs
ANC leaders implicated in corruption and state capture have made the party’s list of potential members of parliament after the May 8 elections.
This is according to ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, who on Wednesday submitted the final list of names of representatives to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in Centurion.
He confirmed that controversial ANC heavyweights such as Nomvula Mokonyane, Bathabile Dlamini, Malusi Gigaba and Mosebenzi Zwane are all on the ANC’s list.
"Anybody who has not been found guilty by a court of law is on the list," said Magashule.
This was despite the ANC saying in January that it would consider unethical conduct as a means to disqualify people from the list.
Top of the list are President Cyril Ramaphosa and Deputy President David Mabuza. Third is party chairperson Gwede Mantashe, followed by Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Ronald Lamola in fifth.
Magashule insisted that the list came about as a result of a democratic process within the party.
"We held more than 26 meetings of the national list committee … We updated the national officials from time to time - five times. We met provincial working committees. We met convenors from the national executive committee in provinces. We discussed the list at the list conference … We then discussed the list again," he said.
Magashule said they had applied the law and if candidates had not been not found guilty and sentenced to more than 12 months and a fine, then they were allowed to be on the list.
When asked about the impact that the inclusion of controversial figures would have on the ANC’s efforts to renew the party under Ramaphosa, Magashule said he believed people still loved the ANC, adding that there were three people on the list who were in their early twenties.
He said the full list would be released only once the IEC had done its own background checks.