Mathews Phosa has expressed concerns about the culture of ‘protecting’ wrongdoers in the ANC.
ANC veteran Mathews Phosa says suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu should step aside from all ANC-aligned activities.
Phosa believes Mchunu should also be fired from his role as minister of police. He said this in an interview on Thursday.
Earlier this month, the ANC confirmed that Mchunu had indicated his willingness to step aside from organisational work following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, also known as the Madlanga commission.
The party said a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) decided that Mchunu should not step aside.
“The ANC continues to monitor developments, and the NEC will revisit its discussion should new developments arise that warrant further consideration.
“As a movement rooted in renewal and ethical leadership, the ANC reiterates that once a member is criminally charged, they voluntarily step aside from their responsibilities until the conclusion of such matters.
“This policy position, unique to the ANC, reflects the organisation’s enduring commitment to integrity, transparency, and accountability,” said the party.
Phosa’s views on the matter
Phosa, however, disagrees with the ANC’s position.
“The ANC was wrong, and the minister was right; he should have been allowed to step aside. This whole thing of protecting one another must come to an end; that is what is damaging the image of the ANC.
“Where we are now, we do not have to wait for Madlanga to finish. It is enough. The people have lost confidence in the law enforcement, in the police force and in other state institutions because of this type of behaviour. Why don’t we just behave clean and move on?” he told Newzroom Afrika.
Political analysis
Andre Duvenhage, a political analyst from the North West University (NWU), said the posture the ANC has taken on Mchunu is an indication of the factional battles inside the party.
“From the beginning, I was reading Mchunu as one of the strategic guys aligned with Ramaphosa. The fact that no action has been taken against him indicates that Ramaphosa’s position is relatively strong.
“Now we understand Ramaphosa’s position better when he dared the NEC to give him a date when he should resign.
“I am also reading this in terms of the infighting in the ANC. They will probably tell us [that] only after Senzo [Mchunu] is found guilty will there be some sort of action. This is an indication that the Ramaphosa camp will fight for him until the bitter end,” he said.
However, Duvenhage says the Madlanga commission and the parliamentary investigation into the allegations made by Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi have raised doubt about Mchunu’s credibility and that of his party.
“The ANC as a party is going to pay a price for this because if we look at the evidence coming from the ad hoc committee as well as the Madlanga commission, someone must be held responsible,” he said.
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