ANC denies claim that Ace Magashule 'meddled' with integrity commission

ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule says his office does not interfere with the work of the party's integrity commission.

This comes after it emerged that the list of names flagged by the ANC’s integrity commission was forwarded to it by the office of the secretary-general.

Party insiders aligned with ANC deputy president David Mabuza claimed that Magashule’s deputy, Jessie Duarte, added Mabuza’s name to the list of those flagged by the integrity commission.

They have also accused Magashule of manipulating the integrity committee list.

Further questions were raised over why Mabuza was number 23 on a list of 22 people flagged by the integrity commission.

“The latest salvo is the distribution of a list purporting to be from the integrity commission (IC). The lie that is being peddled in the public domain relates to the alleged role of the secretary-general’s office (SGO) on how the list was submitted to the integrity commission. We reject this attack on the integrity of the SGO,” ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe said in a statement.

He labelled the reports as “malicious attempts to drive a wedge among leaders and members of the ANC”.

“The ANC rejects attempts by wedge-drivers, found both within and outside our own organisation and the media, whose sole intention is to sow divisions among leaders and members of the ANC. The ANC has a duty and responsibility to defend its unity and the integrity of its leadership and its processes against malicious and baseless attacks,” Mabe said.

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He said the ANC integrity commission had the power to consider matters dispassionately and was made up of veterans who were not easily influenced.

The report of the ANC’s integrity commission was propelled into the spotlight after Mabuza decided to postpone his swearing-in as an MP to clear his name with the ANC’s integrity committee.

He appeared before the committee where he was told to explain why people deemed him to be corrupt.

Since his appearance before the commission, those close to Mabuza have questioned both Magashule's and Duarte’s role in including Mabuza on the list of flagged people who were allegedly not fit to represent the ANC.

The integrity commission report, undated but signed, is believed to have lambasted Magashule for not informing those who have been implicated to appear before the commission.

“... what most disturbed the IC [commission] was that not one of the comrades accused publicly of corruption, have respected the resolution of conference and accounted to the IC,” the report reads.

Mabe said Magashule’s office gave the list of candidates for public representatives registered with the IEC to the integrity commission on April 2.

“The IC, in this letter, was also advised, in the interest of a fair review, to give affected individuals an opportunity to state their case. The onus was on the IC to call in individuals, if it so deemed necessary,” he said.

Mabe further lashed out against people who “single out” some ANC leaders “for vicious personal attacks”, adding that this was a deliberate attempt to undermine the unity of the ANC and its leadership. 

TimesLIVE understands that the party top six decided that the integrity committee report would be inconsequential when considering members of cabinet. 

On Tuesday, Mabuza was sworn in as an MP, paving the way for him to become deputy president of the country.