LISTEN: DA and ANC to face off over cadre deployment

The Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC) is set to face off in the Pretoria High Court on Monday during the opposition party’s challenge to the governing party’s cadre deployment policy.

The DA is aiming to have the ANC’s policy of cadre deployment declared unconstitutional and unlawful.

Important case

The DA‘s Leon Schreiber said the case in the high court is important for all South Africans.

“The case that will be heard is without a doubt the single most important court case for the rebuilding of our government institutions in South Africa’s democratic history. If we are ever to fix the collapsing public services in South Africa, perhaps best epitomised by stage 6 load shedding, that can only start by abolishing the cadre deployment policy.”

“The effect of cadre deployment is nowhere demonstrated as well as with the electricity crisis that we are currently experiencing,” Schreiber said.

Ending load shedding

Schreiber said bringing an end to cadre deployment will also help the country get rid of load shedding.

“As the Zondo Commission confirmed, this practice forms the very foundation of state capture. Abolishing cadre deployment is therefore a fundamental prerequisite if we ever want to end load shedding and halt the collapse of state institutions.”

Listen to the comments by Leon Schreiber

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Cadre deployment

Earlier this month, recent released minutes of the ANC’s deployment committee meetings showed how the governing party seemingly predetermined the appointment of judges, Chapter 9 institution heads, and SOE boards, in a manner which the opposition described as “making a mockery of state appointment processes”.

The ANC’s deployment committee minutes from 2018 to 2021 was made public by the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, chaired by Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, just before the first part of state capture report was released on 3 January 2023.

The minutes come after it emerged at the commission in April last year that the deployment committee did not keep records of its meetings from 2012 to 2017.

Additional reporting by Molefe Seeletsa

ALSO READ: Minutes show how ANC predetermined appointment of judges, SOE heads, boards