ANC to ‘refute’ claims made at Zondo commission
The African National Congress (ANC) has
refuted claims of the involvement
of its national working committee (NWC) in the
deployment of individuals to head up
state-owned enterprises.
The party’s head in the Presidency, Zizi Kodwa, was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the commission of inquiry into state capture on Tuesday.
Kodwa was responding to the testimony by former public enterprises minister, Barbara Hogan.
On Monday, she told the commission that the ANC’s national working committee instructed her to appoint Siyabonga Gama as the CEO of Transnet in 2010 after former President Jacob Zuma indicated that was his preferred candidate for the position.
Gama was facing allegations of maladministration at the time and was found guilty on three counts.
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The commission’s Advocate Philip Mokoena confirmed the party has submitted two statements responding to Hogan’s testimony.
Neither of the statements were signed.
Kodwa said the ANC should be ready to appear before the commission at the end of the month.
“We will rebut some of the statements that are made. The NWC cannot and does not discuss deployment including some of the statements that are made. Whether its deployment of senior officials in state entities it can’t be the NWC, it has never done so historically so there is a version we will rebut.”
Hogan told the commission on Tuesday, that then ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe meddled with the appointments of the Eskom CEO and board chairperson.
She said Zuma recommended former Eskom board chairperson Bobby Godsell, who had resigned only to be reinstated following the removal of Jacob Magora as the CEO.
However, Mantashe called her saying if the black guy (Magora) goes, the white man (Godsell) must not return.
“In our version that we will present to the commission we will make it clear that the ANC draws a line between the state and the party and the fact that those that we deploy time to time having won elections it is the prerogative of the ANC through its secretary general, to interact with those in government when they come to Luthuli House. Not to give them instructions, because a committee like the deployment one does not appoint it can only make recommendations. So, we will come in our version to clarify our interface between the state and the party,” said Kodwa.
He said the party’s president Cyril Ramaphosa will also appear to clarify what the ANC has done to combat state capture.