Ntshavheni case another test for ANC step-aside rule
The ANC step aside rule has been thrust into the spotlight once again, amid allegations of corruption against Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.
The opposition DA and EFF have called for Ntshavheni’s immediate removal, citing the ANC’s own step-aside rule.
The rule, which was introduced to promote accountability and transparency within the party, states that ANC members who are facing corruption allegations should step aside from their party responsibilities until their names are cleared.
Ntshavheni is in hot water after the Hawks announced recently that they had finalised their investigation into allegations of corruption and fraud, and the matter is now with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
The allegations relate to a R2.5 million tender that was awarded to a consulting firm during Ntshavheni’s tenure as municipal manager of the Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality.
The DA on Tuesday said it had written to President Cyril Ramaphosa, demanding Ntshavheni’s immediate removal.
“The DA has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa for swift action against the Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni,” said DA spokesperson Dianne Kohler Barnard.
“Ntshavheni was under investigation by the Hawks from 2021, and her case now sits with the NPA. We call on the NPA to not sit on its hands,” Kohler Barnard said.
The EFF has also weighed in on the matter, calling for Ntshavheni’s removal and criticising the ANC’s handling of corruption allegations.
“The EFF has noted the pronouncement by the Hawks of the conclusion of their investigation into charges and allegations of fraud and corruption against Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni,” said the EFF in a statement.
“The lengthy investigation process, for a transgression committed as far back as 2009, is a reflection of the slow pace of our investigative institutions in handling matters of corruption that involve high-ranking government officials.”
The EFF also criticised the ANC’s step aside rule, saying it has been inconsistently applied.
“For decades, Ntshavheni has been safe under Cyril Ramaphosa’s patronage as his lieutenant and has avoided accountability for her numerous scandals over the years because of her close association with the president,” said the EFF.
ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bengu-Motsiri did not respond to questions by deadline. Ntshavheni was not available for comment.
However, at a media briefing Monday, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula defended Ntshavheni, saying the party would not respond to the allegations.
“There’s nothing about Ntshavheni we need to respond to at the present moment, except that there are reports that the Hawks have finalised their report about alleged corruption. It ends there,” he said.
“We respond to something tangible when somebody is arrested. Law enforcement must not try people through the media and seek to find them guilty.”
He said Ntshavheni should not explain herself through the media regarding whether she’s guilty or not.
“You don’t leak a docket because once you do, it means the prospects of winning the case are not there, and what you do is try the person and muddy them through the media. The reports say nothing except that a person is being investigated,” Mbalula said.
The party’s step aside rule has been under scrutiny in recent months.
In his January 8 address, Ramaphosa hinted at new rules passed by the party’s Integrity Commission, which would strengthen the step aside rule. However, it remains to be seen how the rule will be applied in Ntshavheni’s case.
Cape Times