Durban - As the ANC’s deadline for leaders charged with corruption and other serious charges drawers closer, the party’s KZN Provincial Integrity Committee (PIC) on Thursday said it doesn’t have anything to do with the 30-day step aside in 30 days rule.
The chairperson of the KZN PIC Sipho Magwaza on Thursday said that they subscribed to a previous resolution saying those implicated should step aside to appear before the integrity commission so that the commission listens to their story and decide upon that.
This comes as provincial secretaries of the ANC had to submit lists of those provincial leaders charged with corruption and other serious charges to the Office of the Secretary-General Ace Magashule as the deadline for them to step aside looms.
Magwaza was speaking in relation to the PIC reinstating corruption accused ANC KZN leaders Mike Mabuyakhulu and Zandile Gumede after they had appeared before the PIC last year.
Mabuyakhulu, ANC KZN deputy chairperson, is facing charges of allegedly accepting R300 000 in kickbacks from the organisers of the 2012 North Sea Jazz Festival for which individuals and companies were paid R28 million only for the concert not to take place.
Mabuyakhulu was reinstated by the commission last year with the commission's explanation being he had been “open, candid and honest in explaining his situation”.
Magwaza said that they had always subscribed to the principle of “innocent until proven guilty” and “justice delayed is justice denied” and that they had also applied these principles in relation to Mabuyakhulu and Gumede respectively.
“Where do you put comrade Mabuyakhulu in the innocent until proven guilty and we expect to cut him from all the ANC activities when the investigation is taking forever?” Magwaza said.
Gumede is facing a series of fraud, corruption and money laundering charges in relation to the looting of the R320 million Durban Solid Waste in 2017, was also reinstated by the PIC after she had appeared before it late last year.
Magwaza said that Gumede had been reinstated to her duties as she had not been specifically charged by the courts with the courts even saying she had been prematurely charged as there were no specific charges at the time, although she has since been indicted by the courts in fraud, corruption and money laundering.
Meanwhile in the North West, following the suspension of his membership by the Interim Provincial Committee (IPC) of the ANC in that province, former North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo says that he has reserved his comments for his disciplinary hearing with the committee. Unconfirmed suggest that the meeting was held late on Thursday.
Mahumapelo is accused by the IPC of allegedly influencing JB Marks Local Municipality mayor Kgotso Khumalo not to resign after the IPC had instructed Khumalo to resign as he is facing fraud and corruption charges.
Political Bureau