Energy minister Gwede Mantashe told the state capture inquiry the establishment of the now-defunct Gupta-owned television station ANN7 and newspaper The New Age served as an opportunity to diversify the media industry.
The former secretary-general was in the hot seat on Wednesday where he was quizzed about the party's relationship with the embattled Gupta family and the ANC's deployment and cadre policies.
Here are five telling quotes from his testimony:
“We don't appoint judges at any level, but we do encourage experienced legal practitioners to apply when positions appear. That is the end of what we can do. We don't go and sit in the election.”
“When I was the secretary-general for 10 years, I'd never seen a queue of judges accounting to me. Actually, I can't remember a day where I had a discussion with a judge on anything. I've never seen judges come to Luthuli House to account because the ANC understands and appreciates the separation of powers.”
“Around 2010 the family approached the ANC with a proposal to establish a newspaper and television channel. At the time the ANC had an interest in the diversification of the media in the country and on that basis, the proposal was entertained.
"The establishment of ANN7 and The New Age was in our view such an opportunity. In fact, the name of the newspaper was proposed by ANC officials after a well-known struggle newspaper of the 1950s.”
“The ANC prepares its cadres through an internal party process so that if I'm given a responsibility I must have acquired the competence to execute ... the policy is about the development of individual cadres of the ANC.”
“You have a group of members in the NEC who would stand up and say to president Jacob Zuma he must resign and the majority of members saying that is not how it's done. When that happens, your duty as the secretary-general is to navigate through that stormy weather with care.”
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