We can’t allow the ‘image of the ANC to be battered’, says Mbalula on De Ruyter’s claims

The ANC has served legal papers on former Eskom chief executive André de Ruyter and given him seven days to respond, or “we will take further steps”, said the party’s secretary-general Fikile Mbalula yesterday.

Mbalula didn’t specify what the papers were, nor the demands, but he spent time at the ANC press briefing at Luthuli House stressing the party had a right to defend its reputation, legally.

In a recent interview with eNCA, De Ruyter said he had raised with a Cabinet minister the allegation that another senior ANC leader was involved in the looting at Eskom, adding the minister did not appear surprised.

ANC ‘reputation’ at stake

Mbalula said: “We can’t allow the image of the ANC to be battered. Everyone can utter ‘ANC corrupt’ without any shred of evidence and we must accept that? We can’t accept that.”

He went on: “I can’t accuse other parties of things I don’t have evidence of because it’s hearsay.”

When the ANC challenged De Ruyter on his claims, “we are told we are suppressing whistleblowers”.

“A one-on-one interview is not whistle-blowing. You are basically playing to the gallery without doing what the law requires of you as the authority. When you have got corruption you report it to the Hawks [the SA Police Service’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation]. You don’t report to the minister. What do you want the minister to do about stealing?”

ALSO READ: SIU to speak to De Ruyter about his Eskom mafia claims, shocked he didn’t mention it before

Mbalula said while the “person who was mentioned, whoever they are, they must stand for their sins”, the “ANC as a political party has not given anyone mandate to go and mess up with the CEO of Eskom”.

“If individuals have gone to Eskom, make business as though they are doing it for the ANC, we are equally interested to know who are those individuals.”

Who is making money at Eskom?

He said the organisation could not just be lumped together with a businessman doing business with Eskom.

“We must ask a lot of questions about Eskom. Who is making money at Eskom? Is it black people? Which companies are benefitting at Eskom?

“Why is the media not investigating that, rather than to attack the soft target, the ANC?

ALSO READ: ANC gives De Ruyter seven days to lay charges over Eskom corruption

“We are told by De Ruyter that we account for the largest chunk of that money … we didn’t have money to pay staff but we are told we were beneficiaries.”

Mbalula also revealed that, five years after the ANC took a strong resolution to nationalise the SA Reserve Bank (Sarb), there was no indication this decision was about to be implemented.

Mbalula, who unveiled the ANC’s 55th national conference report and resolutions, declined to elaborate on the wealth tax but indicated the matter would be handled by the finance department. Instead of budging on the Reserve Bank’s nationalisation, the ANC resolved its constitutional independence must be reaffirmed.

ALSO READ: De Ruyter told Gordhan about corruption as two ministers ‘implicated’ in Eskom probe

The continued noncommittal on the Sarb nationalisation was attributed to the isolation and subsequent defeat of the so-called ANC radical economic transformation (RET) elements, who retreated before the elective conference last December.

RET forces

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s growing political hegemony in the party was seen as another factor for the RET’s demise. The absence of the RET forces could see more radical policy proposals being ditched by the party.

The ANC also appeared to have given up on land expropriation without compensation. Instead, it was proposing that the government should maximise the implementation of the new Expropriation Act and to use it to fast-track turning underutilised land into production.

ALSO READ: ATM calls for De Ruyter to appear in Parliament to spill beans on Eskom corruption

The proposed Land Reform and Agricultural Development Agency should be speedily implemented. In addition, the land redistribution Bill should be initiated so as to further accelerate land redistribution.

– news@citizen.co.za