Pretoria - ANC treasurer in Limpopo Danny Msiza tendered his step-aside letter to the party’s Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) on Wednesday after months of speculation about his future.
Speaking to Pretoria News on Wednesday, ANC provincial spokesperson Donald Selamolele said the party would convene a special PEC meeting on Monday to discuss the way forward after receiving the letter from Msiza.
“We had a special sitting as the PEC today (on Wednesday) to discuss other issues, but at the same time received the letter of the treasurer (Msiza) stepping aside. He was not part of the meeting,” Selamolele said.
Msiza’s decision to strip himself of all responsibilities for the party comes after pressure was applied by the party’s bosses on Monday in the form of a letter to provincial secretary Soviet Lekganyane from ANC acting secretary-general Jessie Duarte, representing the National Executive Committee (NEC).
The letter had asked the PEC to implement rule 25.70 of the party’s constitution that all members who are indicted to appear in a court of law on a criminal charge, must step aside from their responsibilities until their matter is resolved.
In the letter Duarte wrote: “We are in the view that this matter is abundantly clear and requires no further elucidation. It is not necessary or desirable for national officials to comment on a case-by-case basis when the NEC has made clear policy pronouncements, and provided guidelines for the implementation of these policies.
“Accordingly, we urge the province to implement these decisions with consistency and without deviation.”
Msiza, along with 13 others, is accused in connection with the brazen looting of R2.3 billion in the now collapsed VBS Mutual Bank.
Speaking to Pretoria News on Wednesday before receiving Msiza’s letter, Lekganyane had indicated that after receiving the letter from Duarte, he had written to Msiza asking him to step aside.
“I have already written a letter to let the treasurer (Msiza) know of the instruction from the NEC and that if he would be part of any ANC meeting, that meeting would be deemed unconstitutional,” Lekganyane said.
He said the letter had clarified everything.
The NEC took a decision in March, giving those implicated in wrongdoing to vacate their official positions by April 28.
Efforts by Pretoria News to get comment from Msiza were fruitless.
However, the Peter Mokaba Region, a staunch supporter of Msiza, said they had not yet received any communication from the PEC about the future of Msiza, but noted the letter from Duarte.
Its spokesperson, Jimmy Machaka said: “We note the letter from the NEC, and we are leaving it to the PEC for consideration. However, there is no doubt the decision will amount to double jeopardy on the part of the provincial treasurer (Msiza).
“It was our wish that the matter of the treasurer be considered separately, as it is a different case from other cases,” Machaka said.
Msiza had voluntarily stepped aside in 2018 after he was named alongside former Vhembe mayor and provincial deputy chairperson, Florence Radzilani, in advocate Terry Motau’s “The Great Bank Heist” report that blew the lid off the VBS scandal.
Pretoria News