DA threatens ANC with court action over cadre deployment documents

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The Democratic Alliance (DA) has threatened to launch a contempt of court application to force the African National Congress (ANC) to hand over more documents from its Cadre Deployment Committee meetings.

The party says it has given the ANC until Saturday to hand over all the documents as directed by the Constitutional Court.

DA Leader John Steenhuisen has told a media briefing in Cape Town, that they will also institute a criminal case against ANC Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula, whom he accuses of seeking to hide President Cyril Ramaphosa’s involvement in the Cadre Deployment saga.

The DA will not relent in our battle against ANC cadre deployment corruption until we have outlawed and abolished this scourge from the face of South Africa. #CadreDeploymentRecords #CadreGate pic.twitter.com/DKLx3Qn2pW

— John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) February 23, 2024

Appointments 

The DA says it has found evidence that the ANC’s Cadre Deployment Committee continued interfering in the appointments of state officials even after the findings of the State Capture Commission against the practice.

The party says documents handed to it by the ANC show that President Cyril Ramaphosa was summoned by the Cadre Deployment Committee for failing to consult it before making an appointment.

DA MP Leon Schreiber says that this points to serious transgressions.

“He is minuted as being fully aware of committee processes and he apologises to the committee for using his constitutional power to make an appointment before getting direction from the Cadre Deployment Committee first. Secondly a minister is admonished for not completing a committee process before advertising vacancies on the 20th of January 2020 to bring vacancies to the committee for advertising them.”

🔴 [LIVE NOW] Watch as the DA announces the next steps in the fight against ANC cadre deployment corruption.

Broadcast links. 🔽

YouTube: https://t.co/aRZxdMSFQm

Facebook: https://t.co/IrPUjVR1nH#CadreDeploymentRecords #CadreGate pic.twitter.com/98WCL4zHrw

— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) February 23, 2024

The DA has once again dismissed allegations that it too, just like the ANC, has practiced cadre deployment. The party calls comparison between the DA processes and those of the ANC a bait and switch operation.

When asked about prominent party members who have been appointed to state institutions in the provincial and local governments, Steenhuisen says they were appointed following an open process and found to be the best candidates.

One of the examples was Tim Harris, a former DA member of parliament. He was later appointed to head up the Western Cape and Cape Town’s tourism, trade and investment promotion agency.

“He applied for a position. He was selected for the position after an extensive interview process. The process, which was open, fair and transparent, included independent people. On that particular panel the decision came up with that he would be the best person to fill that vacancy. It’s a process, not somebody’s appeared on a list that somebody’s redacted name is on a WhatsApp.”