ANC, DA drag heels in cleaning up shop – analysts

There seems to be no concerted drive for political parties to clean up their acts despite the ANC suspending implicated top members and the Democratic Alliance facing a series of fake qualification scandals, say political experts.

While ANC secretary- general Ace Magashule faced suspension for not stepping aside from his duties last week and the party recently suspended former North West premier Supra Mahumapelo and the women’s league’s provincial secretary, Bitsa Lenkopane, the ANC gave the impression it had started to act against transgressing party members.

But while there was a will and a drive for the ruling party to clean up its corrupt image, there was no concerted effort, said political analysts.

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Political analyst at NorthWest University Professor Barry Hanyane said efforts would include correct vetting processes which involved submissions of CVs and identity documents, among other things.

“There is no concerted drive to clean up. These are piece-meal type of responses to allegations, innuendos and claims, to a large degree. It is not a well-structured, fit-for-purpose kind of approach which says there might be too much damage to the image and too much debt in the house.”

Political analyst Professor Lesiba Teffo dismissed the ANC’s actions on corrupt officials as just an image booster.

“I don’t want to look at it as a publicity stunt. The wish and the desire to do the right thing is there, and rightly so. “But we must have the necessary gumption to fight it to the bitter end,” Teffo said.

The opposition benches of the DA were rocked by yet another qualification scandal yesterday. This time it was MMC for water and waste at the City of Cape Town, Xanthea Limberg, who allegedly claimed in her CV to have a degree from UCT and Unisa, while only having certificates from Cape Peninsula University of Technology and UCT.

This was the fourth qualification scandal to hit the opposition party in the recent weeks, following DA Western Cape leader Bonginkosi Madikizela, Saldhana Bay Mayor Marius Koen and DA Chief Whip Natasha Mazzone.

“People have been minding their day-to-day business and operating on the osteosis that it doesn’t matter if you get checked or not. “This speaks to a lapse of governance processes needed to be observed.

“You start to wonder – are these people who are driving the anti-corruption campaigns really serious about adopting the same attitude when it comes to their own in-housekeeping?” said Hanyane.