Home

DA seeks special parliamentary debate on ANC cadres deployment

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for an urgent special debate on African National Congress (ANC) cadres deployment as a matter of public interest.

The party says it will ask the Speaker of the National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to urgently schedule the debate. This follows the release of minutes of the ANC cadre deployment committee meetings for 2018 and 2021 by the State Capture Commission.

The DA has denied charges that it is also guilty of deploying its own members to strategic positions where it governs.

DA MP and national spokesperson, Siviwe Gwarube says it is urgent for parliament to have a snap debate on the matter. She says parliament should be at the forefront in rooting out corruption.

“The reality is that this has been going on for many, many years. And parliament has been found wanting in terms of coming up with solutions on the issues at its arrival. So we can’t be sitting as members of parliament as these kinds of things are happening. We got to make sure we find solutions as South Africans are seeing us as being united in fighting corruption in this way. So it’s not a waste of time to have a public debate on these matters as provided by the rule.”

DA wants a review of appointments it claims were made through ANC cadre deployment:

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde came under fire recently when it emerged that he wants to re-appoint his former Transport and Public Works MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela as his special advisor. Madikizela stepped down as MEC and a member of the provincial legislature last year after it emerged he had lied about his academic qualifications.

Again former DA MP Vusumzi Magwebu from the Easter Cape was appointed as the City of Cape Town’s Ombudsman, following in the footsteps of another DA MP Tim Harris, who was appointed as the CEO of Wesgro – the provincial government’s investment and marketing company.

But, Gwarube has denied the DA is also practicing cadre deployment. She says Winde has been asked to explain the Madikizela’s issue.

“So that is why we have said the premier must explain the process because we are confidence that it would be in line with the law. However, this is something that the DA is not for, it that if there are political appointments that are made in the institutions of the state…because we believe that is the very foundation of what we have in the state capture. Because we cannot be the ones that are against the state capture and actually have to mean something else.”

Former DA member and now the GOOD Party Secretary General Brett Herron says both ANC and DA have a common deployment strategy.

“So there is a long track record of DA cadre deployment although they will deny it. And it is a similar practice to what happens in the ANC, where basically these political parties are making sure that there are people who may protect their interest are in the right positions.”

Meanwhile, the DA has added that it will be approaching the Public Service Commission to ask it to investigate all ANC cadre deployment appointments in state institutions. The ANC was not available for comment.

DA calls for a full investigation into ‘ANC cadre deployment appointments’: Dr Leon Schreiber

Author

MOST READ