Bathabile Dlamini ‘intends’ to take legal action against ANC over NEC position snub

Former Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini is planning to take legal action against the African National Congress (ANC) after she was barred from contesting for a position on the national executive committee (NEC).

In a letter sent to Dlamini on Wednesday, the ANC informed the former minister that the ruling party’s electoral committee vetting process had disqualified her because of her perjury conviction.

ALSO READ: ANC stumps Bathabile: Convicted ex-minister not eligible for any NEC position

ANC’s electoral committee chairperson, Kgalema Motlanthe announced the final 200 members nominated for the NEC last week. 

However, Dlamini, who received 856 nominations to return to the NEC ahead of the ANC’s national elective conference next week, has since instructed her lawyers to institute legal proceedings against the ruling party.

ANC members were told by Motlanthe that members who had been convicted of crimes were unable to stand for leadership positions before the nomination process opened in September this year.

This is due to the ANC’s step aside rule, which was retained by the governing party at its national policy in June.

The former minister was also forced to step aside from her position after she was re-elected as ANC Women’s League president although she was later reinstated by the NEC.

Perjury conviction

Dlamini was convicted in April and sentenced to a four-year prison sentence or a fine of R200 000. 

She had been found guilty of perjury for lying under oath at an inquiry, which had investigated her role in the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) 2017 crisis.

The debacle left millions of social grant beneficiaries uncertain if they would receive their money.

The former minister was accused of lying while giving testimony during an inquiry instituted by the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) in 2018.

Dlamini dig at Ramaphosa

In the race of ANC presidency, Dlamini seems to be backing former health minister, Zweli Mkhize.

Addressing Mkhize’s supporters in Pietermaritzburg last month, Dlamini said there were ANC leaders who, after being elected by ANC branches, went on to collude with the “whites” without mentioning President Cyril Ramaphosa by name.

READ MORE: Former ANCWL president Bathabile Dlamini describes Cyril Ramaphosa as an ‘outsider’

According to Dlamini, the dominance of white people in the country’s economic sector will never be broken if leadership changes did not happen at the upcoming elective conference

“That conference will be a make-or-break. If we lose, we will be oppressed forever,” she said.

Ramaphosa and Mkhize will facing off at the elective conference, which is set to take place from 16 to 20 December.

Additional reporting by Vhahangwele Nemakonde