Gauteng ANC makes excuses for refusing to fire Faith Mazibuko, two others over VBS

The African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng has rejected the findings of its party’s own integrity commission, that two mayors allegedly involved in the looting of VBS bank – Maphefo Letsie and Boyce Maneli – as well as MEC Faith Mazibuko, should be fired.

The party’s provincial secretary Jacob Khawe told the Sunday Times in an interview on Sunday that the ANC in Gauteng believes the recommendation regarding Mazibuko was “harsh”.

“She has participated in the process of discipline, apology, remorse,” Khawe said, adding that they do not feel she needs to be fired as she has “done what we asked her to do”.

Khawe said it was up to the provincial executive to either agree or disagree with the findings of the committee.

He added that the issue of VBS Bank is handled by the ANC’s national office, and if there has been a delay in consequences for those implicated in the scandal, this “could be that there’s a process of engagement” that is not yet concluded.

He acknowledged that Gauteng premier David Makhura promised that those who faced the integrity committee would then have to face a provincial integrity too, and denied this was simply “vote-catching” on the premier’s part, even though the promise was made shortly before elections.

READ MORE: DA slams Gauteng ANC for not firing VBS Bank mayors

The DA’s constituency head in Merafong, Ina Cilliers said earlier in October that the party was shocked to learn that the ruling party was rejecting its “own decision” to fire the officials, opting to have the matter escalated to the party’s national leadership for further consideration.

Khawe told The Citizen a similar story to that repeated to the Sunday Times.

He said as far as VBS is concerned, the provincial executive committee (PEC) noted that there was a process at a national level to “come to the bottom of this matter”.

He said the PEC wanted to “further engage” with the national leadership for the sake of consistency in the application of principles when concluding the matter.

“Once that process has been concluded, a special PEC will be called to receive a report and make a final determination.”

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman. Background reporting, Simnikiwe Hlatshaneni.) 

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