The ANC will have to discuss what should happen to its members who refuse to co-operate with the commission of inquiry into state capture, justice and correctional services minister Ronald Lamola has said.
His comments come in the wake of former president Jacob Zuma — who is at the heart of allegations of state capture — refusing to co-operate with the inquiry chaired by deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo.
In a webinar on Thursday morning, Lamola was questioned on this by economist Xhanti Payi.
“There will have to be discussions to say what happens with those who don’t want to co-operate [with the commission]. There’s a standing resolution that members of the party should co-operate,” Lamola said.
Zuma has said he will not abide by a court order handed down by the Constitutional Court last week that compels him to give evidence before Zondo, as well as answer questions put to him, with the exception of those by which he would incriminate himself.
Zuma’s refusal to adhere to a lawful order and his defiance of the country’s highest court has drawn strong criticism, especially in light of him establishing the commission himself — and calling on people to co-operate with the inquiry.
The state-capture commission has also said Zuma seems to regard himself as being above the law and will take action against him for defying a summons and a court order that he appear before the inquiry.
Zuma’s actions are expected to be high on the agenda at the party’s upcoming national executive committee (NEC) meeting.
Lamola said the ANC cannot deal with matters of principle in a politically expedient manner. He said the ANC was established to advance the interests of the country, and that the party helped draft the constitution that provides for a democracy in which the constitution reigns supreme.
He said members of the ANC must support the work of the commission and avail themselves to appear before it if they are called to do so. “You will see a majority of them have availed themselves,” Lamola said.
He also touched on comments made by ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule on Wednesday to reporters in Johannesburg in which he seemed to defend Zuma.
According to reports, Magashule, among others, said that apartheid-era president PW Botha refused to go to the truth and reconciliation commission (TRC) and “nobody said anything”.
Lamola said the ANC leadership should not want to measure its standards by those of PW Botha, noting, “Those standards were very low.”
He said it is also not accurate to say nothing happened to Botha, who was convicted and fined for contempt after refusing to appear before the TRC, but this was later overturned on appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal because the commission had not followed the correct procedure to subpoena him.
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