POLL | Should the DA publicly release the ANC cadre deployment records?

20 February 2024 - 12:00 By Rethabile Radebe
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ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri recently rejected “fevered speculation driven by the DA” regarding the governing party’s cadre development policy and deployment strategy. File photo.
ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri recently rejected “fevered speculation driven by the DA” regarding the governing party’s cadre development policy and deployment strategy. File photo.
Image: Freddy Mavunda

The DA has the ANC's cadre deployment records in its possession, and the question is: does the opposition party have a social responsibility to release them to the public? 

The governing party handed the documents to the DA on Monday after the Constitutional Court instructed it to do so.

The official opposition party said it would analyse the documents to ensure the ANC complied with the ConCourt ruling.

The ruling party had to surrender minutes of meetings, email correspondence, WhatsApp conversations, CVs and all other relevant documentation dating back to January 2013.

The ANC asked the DA to be cautious with its handling of the information by being cognisant of the provisions of the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia) which guarantees the protection of personal information of individuals.

Its cadre deployment policy has been a contentious issue as the DA and many concerned South Africans believe it is at the core of poor service delivery. Some people deployed by the ANC and placed in critical government positions have been found to not have skills for the positions they hold.

This compromises delivery of services as those individuals prove they are incapable and lack the necessary competency skills.

Former finance minister Trevor Manuel, who at some point was a beneficiary of the controversial policy, recently slammed cadre deployment, saying it was doing more harm than good.

ANC national chairperson and mineral resources and energy minister Gwede Mantashe said the policy would continue to be implemented by the party.

He said the policy had ensured transformation in government administration.

“It has changed a situation where every DG [director-general] was a white male in 1994. It has changed the reality where every judge was a white male, where every mayor was a white male. Cadre development has changed that reality,” Mantashe said during the recent state of the nation address debate.

“So, run to court, do everything, but the reality is we will do it. You will get your report but we will continue deploying people who are capable. That’s it.”

TimesLIVE


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