President Cyril Ramaphosa’s clean-up campaign has been dealt a massive blow by his own party, with those directly implicated in state capture and corruption featuring high on the ANC’s list of potential MPs.
Political parties had until 5pm on Wednesday to submit their lists of candidates for national and provincial government and to pay their deposit to contest the elections.
When it comes to the compilation of the lists, Ramaphosa’s hands are tied as nominations follow a party process, and the list may be seen as a reflection of his struggle to impose his authority on the party after narrowly winning the leadership.
While it is still the president’s prerogative to select his cabinet, if the ANC wins the May elections, the presence of controversial figures linked with some of the excesses of the Zuma presidency, which Ramaphosa has dubbed "wasted years", may undermine his "new dawn" narrative, which has been credited with the party’s improved electoral prospects.
The ANC has not made its entire list public, but secretary-general Ace Magashule confirmed that some of the party’s most controversial politicians, who served in former president Jacob Zuma’s cabinet, such as Mosebenzi Zwane, Malusi Gigaba, Bathabile Dlamini and Nomvula Mokonyane, all made it onto the list.
It was reported that some people were asked to consider not accepting their nominations.
Magashule said no-one was unwilling to step down, but rather responded with "treat us like South Africans. We are all equal."
He said anyone who had not been found guilty by a court of law remained on the list. The ANC has always stood by the principle of innocent until proven guilty.
However, when finalising the guidelines for the list process earlier in 2019, the party said candidates had to "enhance the integrity of the ANC; have no history of ill-discipline or corruption; no criminal record; no history of involvement in fostering division and conflict; and must not have breached the ANC’s code of conduct".
Dlamini, minister of women in the presidency, was found to have possibly lied under oath when dealing with the Sassa debacle in 2017, and the Constitutional Court ordered that the national director of public prosecutions make a call on whether she should be prosecuted and charged for perjury for lying under oath. The NPA is still looking into the matter.
Zwane was embroiled in allegations of state capture and was replaced as mineral resources minister when Ramaphosa took over. He has been implicated in testimony given to the Zondo commission into state capture.
Gigaba resigned from cabinet in 2018 after he was found to have lied under oath in court, while Mokonyane has been blamed for the chaotic state in which the department of water & sanitation finds itself. She has also been embroiled in allegations of state capture after former facilities management Bosasa COO Angelo Agrizzi alleged she was paid bribes.
"Anybody who has not been found guilty by a court of law is on the list," Magashule said.
He said he was "not sure" whether having them on the list would come with reputational baggage for the ANC.
Ramaphosa was number one on the list to parliament, with his deputy, David Mabuza, second. ANC national chair Gwede Mantashe was third, followed by Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who Ramaphosa beat to the presidency in December 2017.
It is also understood that Senzo Mchunu, Zizi Kodwa, head of the presidency in Luthuli House, and national executive committee members Ronald Lamola and David Masondo are also on the list.
Magashule and the ANC’s treasurer-general, Paul Mashatile, were originally on the list, but both were removed as they held permanent positions at Luthuli House.
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