Steenhuisen threatens ANC leaders with jail over cadre deployment records

Steenhuisen told supporters at the DA’s election manifesto launch in Pretoria on Saturday that the ANC had asked for an extension to the Constitutional Court deadline to hand over the documents.

"As you all know, the Constitutional Court has given the ANC until Monday to hand over complete records of its cadre deployment committee dating back to 1 January 2013, when Ramaphosa became its chairman,” Steenhuisen said.

“After delaying for more than three years following the DA’s initial request for these records to be made public to expose Ramaphosa’s role in state capture, the ANC yesterday came crawling back to the DA, begging us to give them more time.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to respond to Ramaphosa and the ANC directly. No, you cannot get more time. Not to hand over these records, and not in government. You have wasted South Africa’s time for long enough.

“You will comply with the Constitutional Court’s order by handing over these records by 5 pm on Monday.

“If you fail to do so, the DA will use the precedent set in the Zuma case to go back to court for a contempt order that includes prison time for each and every one of the ANC’s leaders,” Steenhuisen warned.

The ANC lost its Constitutional Court bid to appeal an earlier ruling ordering it to hand over all its records and documents relating to cadre deployment.

The governing party was given five working days to hand over the full records, dating back to 1 January 2013, to the Democratic Alliance.

The DA filed legal papers against the ANC last year to have the governing party’s cadre deployment policy declared unconstitutional and unlawful.

It believes the ANC’s policy to reward loyal members has come at the cost of delivery for the rest of South Africa and wants the policy scrapped from the ANC‘s books.

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