The ANC and SACP are being hauled before the Zondo commission to explain why they sought to have Siyabonga Gama appointed CEO of Transnet in 2009 in spite of a cloud of allegations over his head and against the wishes of the board.
ANC chair Gwede Mantashe and SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande are among those called to the state capture commission to respond to explosive claims that former public enterprises minister Barbara Hogan will make of political interference in the management and appointments at state-owned enterprises.
Hogan was dumped from the cabinet in October 2010 by former president Jacob Zuma after she refused to toe the line on key appointments in parastatals, which later became the target of Gupta looting. She is due to testify on November 12.
Hogan's evidence is the first to draw a direct link between the ANC and state capture, making the party's claim that it is not on trial at the Zondo inquiry increasingly untenable.
Hogan cites statements by the ANC, the SACP, the ANC Youth League and trade union Satawu in 2009 condemning the suspension of Gama as head of Transnet Freight Rail and aggressively backing his appointment as CEO of the SOE. Gama was suspended over allegations of tender irregularities, including the awarding of a R19m contract to a security firm linked to former communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda.
Hogan explains the process undertaken by the Transnet board to appoint a CEO after the candidate they initially selected, Pravin Gordhan, now public enterprises minister, was appointed finance minister by Zuma.
When the board came up with a "capable black candidate", Zuma refused to let the recommendation go before the cabinet and insisted Gama be appointed. Hogan says she advised Zuma that Gama was facing a disciplinary process and could not be appointed. Zuma instructed that the appointment of the CEO be delayed until Gama's disciplinary proceedings were complete.
The CEO position remained vacant until February 2011, when Hogan's replacement, Malusi Gigaba, appointed Brian Molefe. Gama became Transnet's acting CEO in April 2015. A year later, Gama's appointment as permanent CEO was confirmed by then public enterprises minister Lynne Brown.
He was fired this month.
According to the leaked Gupta e-mails, two months before his permanent appointment, Gama enjoyed a two-night stay at the five-star Oberoi hotel in Dubai.
Hogan cites statements made in 2009 in support of Gama, including by then ANC secretary-general Mantashe who said he was "an African manager with capabilities".
Mantashe confirmed to the Sunday Times that he had received notice from the inquiry that he is cited in Hogan's affidavit, saying: "I will go there to explain we could not let a white person be appointed when a capable black person was available for the position."
The Sunday Times understands that support for Gama was decided on by the ANC national working committee at the time.
The SACP confirmed that Nzimande had been asked to explain a statement the party issued in 2009 claiming there were attempts to "frustrate" Gama's appointment "despite his illustrious career, commitment to public service and strong credentials".
Ironically, the SACP said in the statement that it was "deeply suspicious that there is an elite that is hellbent on capturing Transnet for its own narrow interests"...