The ANC has dropped its disciplinary charges against co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and four of its MPs.
The MPs went against a party decision to vote against a report to impeach President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Dlamini-Zuma, Mervyn Dirks, Supra Mahumapelo and Mosebenzi Zwane all voted for the adoption of the report presented to parliament by former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo.
Among other things, the report into the Phala Phala farm robbery recommended the need for further investigation into the role Ramaphosa played in the scandal, saying there were possibilities he could have transgressed the constitution. The panel found that Ramaphosa may have a case to answer over the theft of at least $580,000 at his Phala Phala farm in 2020.
A special national executive committee (NEC) meeting on Thursday decided to drop disciplinary processes against the MPs.
ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe told Business Day: “The NEC, exercising its own will and wisdom, made a determination, that because it may have had similar instances in the past [of its MPs voting with the opposition], it is only fair to defer this matter to the incoming NEC of the ANC, which will have to conduct a thorough investigation and look at all other similar cases and make a determination on the way forward.”
Dlamini-Zuma’s spokesperson, Lungi Mtshali, told Business Day on Saturday that after she was served with the letter from ANC secretary-general Paul Mashatile’s office informing her of the disciplinary process, “she wrote back outlining why it would be flawed to charge her with ill-discipline”.
“Based on the strength of that argument the disciplinary process was withdrawn,” Mtshali said.
On Friday, Dlamini-Zuma moved to assure her supporters that the communication she had received about the disciplinary process “does not affect my ability to stand. If nominated by branches of the ANC, I am still allowed [to] stand for nomination and I will avail myself”.
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