‘Leaders act on behalf of party, not in personal capacity,’ says ANC on reported case against Mashatile

The African National Congress (ANC) has defended its deputy president Paul Mashatile against allegations of fraud and perjury, saying he was not acting in his personal capacity.

This after Eyewitness News reported on Wednesday that an ANC North West member had approached the courts accusing Mashatile of lying under oath.

Mashatile, who was acting secretary-general of the party at the time, allegedly insisted that the NEC had resolved that the North West interim provincial committee (IPC) had the right to call for a provincial conference.

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Molefe alleged that Mashatile fabricated the NEC meeting in July so that the North West provincial conference could go ahead.

Mashatile has, according to the publication, since written to the courts “asking them to strike his previous affidavit from its records as it was an error”.

‘Proper channels’

In a statement, the ANC said it had noted the report of the case which was opened by someone “who is said” to be an ANC member.

“We wish to place it on record that leaders of the ANC act and discharge their responsibilities on behalf of the organisation, and not in their personal capacity,” it said.

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“According to our records, all decisions pertaining to the erstwhile interim provincial committee and the subsequent election of the provincial executive committee were handled in accordance with ANC guidelines. The ANC will respond as and when required to do so by relevant authorities,” said the party.

It said any member who had grievance concerning organisational processes should utilise the ANC’s dispute resolution mechanisms that are in place, instead of running to the courts.

ANC unity

Addressing the special congress of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Wednesday, Mashatile called for a renewed ANC that is not pre-occupied with itself and its internal dynamics.

He called for an ANC that “is in touch with communities – an ANC that is responsive to the needs of the people – an ANC that spends more time resolving problems of the people.”

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“Let us remember that unity is the very basis upon which our organization and alliance was founded. Unity is, therefore, sacrosanct!”

Load shedding

Mashatile further said the ANC government was still committed to ending load shedding “within a much shorter time-frame”.

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“As the ANC, we welcome the planned establishment of the Ministry of Electricity. It will ensure that there is dedicated capacity and resources aimed at addressing one of the biggest challenges of our time: energy insecurity,” he said.