By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has declined to grant the African National Congress (ANC) an extension to hand over complete records of its cadre deployment committee dating back to the 1st of January 2013.
The DA has given the ANC a deadline of 5pm on Monday.
The ANC had approached the highest court after the Supreme Court of Appeal found in September 2023 that the party could not appeal against an earlier high court loss on the matter.
The ANC has been ordered by the Constitutional Court to release the 2013 records from its deployment committee by Monday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa was chair of the committee during that period.
“As you all know the Constitutional Court has given the ANC until Monday to hand over complete records of its cadre deployment committee dating back to January 1, 2013, when Ramaphosa was its chairperson, said the DA leader John Steenhuisen.
“After delaying for more than three years following the DA’s initial request for these records to be made public to expose Ramaphosa’s role in state capture, the ANC yesterday came crawling back to the DA, begging us to give them more time.
“I would like to take this opportunity to respond to Ramaphosa and the ANC directly. No you cannot get more time. Not to hand over these records, and not in government. You have wasted South Africa’s time for long enough. You will comply with the Constitutional Court’s order by handing over these records by 5pm on Monday. If you fail to do so, the DA will use the precedent set in the Zuma case to go back to court for a contempt order that includes prison time for each and every one of the ANC’s leaders,” said Steenhuisen.
ANC national and Minister Mineral Resources Energy Gwede Mantashe promised in parliament this week, during the State of the Nation Address, that they will hand over the records to the DA as ordered by the court.
The ANC’s defence with regards to cadre deployment in the past has been that the controversial committee in question merely makes recommendations; it cannot dictate who should be appointed.