Ace aside, these are the ANC bigwigs who could be hit by ‘step aside’ rule

Prominent ANC figures facing criminal charges will have to vacate their positions within 30 days or risk suspension after the party’s national executive committee (NEC) unanimously agreed they need to do so pending finalisation of their cases.

The NEC is the ANC’s highest decision-making body between national conferences.

Though the most notable among those affected by the decision is party secretary-general Ace Magashule, there are several other leaders in various provinces who are facing criminal charges and, therefore, would need to step aside within the next 30 days or face suspension.

Among them are KwaZulu-Natal provincial executive committee members Zandile Gumede and Mike Mabuyakhulu, and Danny Msiza, the ANC treasurer in Limpopo.

Msiza was recently reinstated after being asked to step aside for almost two years after being implicated in the VBS Mutual Bank report. He and his protégé, Kabelo Matsepe, have now been charged by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), so he will again have to step down.

In the Free State, the ANC will have to abandon the task team set up to investigate reinstating ousted Mangaung mayor Olly Mlamleli, who is implicated, with Magashule, in the much-publicised asbestos case in that province.

In the Eastern Cape, the party has already asked at least five of its provincial executive committee members to step aside. These include former health MEC Sindisiwa Gomba and former Buffalo City mayor Zukiswa Ncitha. They have been implicated in corruption allegations related to the funeral of former president Nelson Mandela.

In Mpumalanga, a man accused of raping his daughters, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the children, will have to remain at home after being asked to step aside from the provincial executive.

Nationally, some party deployees, such as deputy finance minister David Masondo and chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee home affairs Bongani Bongo, are also likely to be affected.

The ANC’s integrity commission last year wrote to Masondo to ask him to voluntarily step aside after accusations he used his influence as deputy minister to have the Hawks intervene in a domestic dispute, while Bongo could still face off with the NPA over allegedly dubious land deals in Mpumalanga.

Sunday Times Daily understands the NEC is still processing the integrity commission reports and will soon make decisions on specific cases.

The commission’s chairperson, George Mashamba, would not be drawn on who was likely to be affected by the NEC decision.

“I cannot tell you offhand who will be affected and won’t. That is the domain of the NEC and not of the integrity commission. We only make recommendations to the NEC, who will then decide who will be affected and who will not,” he said.

The NEC has also instructed provinces to compile lists of every leader who is at odds with the law to look into who will be suspended should they not step aside voluntarily.

Delivering the meeting’s closing address on Monday night, party president Cyril Ramaphosa said: “The NEC also agreed that the provincial chairpersons and secretaries would meet with the national officials ... to further refine the guidelines to ensure the resolution can be effectively and practically implemented.

“The secretary-general’s office will work with the provinces to identify all people affected and inform them of the decision.”