Free State urgently needs ethical leadership and good governance: Dukwana

Former Free State African National Congress (ANC) Treasurer Mxolisi Dukwana says the province urgently needs ethical leadership and good governance.

The former Economic Development MEC led a march to the offices of the provincial government, to demand that action be taken against corrupt officials.

Participants of the march also took their grievances to the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court.

Seven people and representatives of five companies appeared in court for their alleged involvement in the irregular awarding of the multi-million-rand asbestos tender.

The asbestos corruption has laid bare tensions in the ANC, with some supporting the accused while others protested over alleged corruption.

“I’m feeling so sad because one of the people who are in power are busy eating money. There’s no development at all because they are building houses with unfinished projects. They must go to jail and we want our money back as sub-contractors of Caleb Motshabi. This is our province. There was never ever corruption in this province. Since 1996 when the premier was changed, it’s when all things started.”

Dukwana says they are determined to renew the party. He appeared before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture during which he accused ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule of enabling corruption during his tenure as Free State premier.

“This will also demonstrate that any person who wants to be a leader to understand that leadership is about serving and leadership is not about using your position to enrich yourself and abuse the office. We hope that any self-respecting member of the ANC would understand that impunity cannot serve the people as we have seen many of our leaders doing wrong things with impunity. We believe that today we are starting a journey that brings an end to that and as members of the ANC reclaiming our organisation.”

 ANC virtually briefs media on developments within the party:

The pro-Ace Magashule group has, meanwhile, accused the anti-Magashule group of sowing divisions in the ANC. This follows a march led by former Free State ANC Treasurer Mxolisi Dukwana calling for Magashule to step down following reports of his imminent arrest on corruption charges.

The group has handed a memorandum of grievances at the Free State government headquarters in Bloemfontein.

Supporters of Magashule have accused Dukwana and other members, who recently marched to ANC headquarters in Johannesburg, of having been paid to destabilise the movement.

One of Magashule’s supporters Mduduzi Nkambule says, “I don’t know what we can call this. This is a group of just a few people who happen to know some individual even before Nasrec. They got money, and they got access to transport that’s why you see them. They can’t even answer those questions. So, they are here to just show the broader that is happening in the ANC. Some of them, we know the leaders of this faction today, are the people whom their names are in those leaked documents of the CR17.”

The two ANC groups are expected to picket outside the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court where Magashule is expected to appear for his alleged involvement in the asbestos corruption scandal.

People must not march in my name: Magashule