Former public enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba will have to step aside as per party rules now that he has been formally charged with corruption, says ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.
Gigaba is the fifth accused in a corruption case involving former Transnet executives linked to billions lost in irregular train tenders.
Malusi has appeared in court... but I do not have any letter indicating his intention to step aside.
— Fikile Mbalula, ANC secretary-general
He appeared in the Johannesburg specialised commercial crimes court, and the case was postponed to January 30 for docket disclosure and further proceedings.
Speaking on the ANC NEC meetings outcomes, Mbalula said the party had received a report on Gigaba’s legal situation shortly before the media engagement on Tuesday but had not yet been formally notified by Gigaba himself.
“I don’t have a letter from Malusi. However, from the ANC’s perspective, if Malusi is charged with corruption, he will have to step aside, and he will do so voluntarily. We will issue a statement to that effect,” said Mbalula.
“If, by the time I finish this press conference, I receive a letter from him along with a report about what happened, we will then issue a statement accordingly. Malusi has appeared in court... but I do not have any letter indicating his intention to step aside.”
Mbalula also addressed rumours that President Cyril Ramaphosa would resign after the G20 Leaders’ Summit taking place this weekend. “There was nobody calling for the President to step down. Who did?
“At the [ANC] NEC, the president addressed some of the rumours that have been circulated in the public domain, which I discussed on this platform last week. What the president was saying relates to the fact that he’s not deterred by these rumours,” he said.
He said if Ramaphosa were to step down, it would be a completely different question. “This would mean he betrayed the membership of the ANC. He was not elected by individuals who promote negativity within the organisation. The majority of ANC members understand and appreciate the current moment, and they know the president is not leading alone; he leads with a collective,” he said.
“I’m conveying this message to you, including those who’re conspiring with them within the party at all levels; this will not succeed. Ramaphosa was elected by the members of the ANC, and his term of office ends in 2027.
“He will not step down based on faceless rumours floating around. In the ANC, this issue has never come up.”
Mbalula said the ANC was focused on its rebuilding. “I can assure you ... we‘re focused on the task of rebuilding the organisation. This task falls on all of us as a collective, and it applies to all our branches and structures.”
Sowetan
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