By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it is on course to file an application to obtain and “expose all minutes and records” from the ANC’s nine provinces and regional cadre deployment committees.
This follows the Constitutional Court ruling two weeks ago compelling the ANC to hand over all its national cadre deployment committee records since January 1 2013.
The party unveiled an election billboard in Bedfordview on the East Rand on Tuesday, vowing to outlaw cadre deployment.
DA MP Leon Schreiber says they will use the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to obtain the WhatsApp conversations, email threads, and CVs dating back from January 2013.
President Cyril Ramaphosa was the chairman of the cadre deployment committee at the time.
“In terms of PAIA, the ANC has 30 days to comply with the DA’s application, which is based on the exact same rationale that led to our Constitutional Court victory. If the ANC fails to comply, the DA will see them back in court in 30 days.
“Using the precedent created in the DA’s Constitutional Court victory, which ordered the ANC to hand over complete records of its national cadre deployment committee, we will now pursue the same records from provincial and regional committees.”
Schreiber said that there is new evidence that the policy existed beyond just the national structure, trickling down to provinces and municipalities where legal appointment processes were allegedly subverted.
He says, the party it is in possession of a set of minutes entitled “deployment committee meeting” dated 2 August 2023 from a regional deployment committee meeting in the North West.
“The minute contains evidence of unlawful interference with administrative appointments in the Ratlou, Tswaing, Kagisano-Molopo, Kgetlengrivier, Madibeng, Maquassi Hills, Taung municipalities, and the provincial Department of Community Safety and Transport.
A letter to “municipal managers, all directors and all senior managers” in municipalities in the ANC’s Chris Hani region of the Eastern Cape, directing them to meet with the regional committee and emphasising that “no apologies will be [accepted].”
President Cyril Ramaphosa has also called on the DA to give them minutes of their meetings to prove they do not practise cadre deployment.
This is after he accused them of being hypocrites and also practising cadre deployment where it governs.
The former DA mayor in Midvaal, Bongani Baloyi said the DA was also practising cadre deployment.
Baloyi said the municipality could not conclude a senior staff appointment without the “approval of Fedex.”
He mentioned that it was standard procedure that all mayors apply to get the approval of Fedex before the municipality would conclude the appointment.
Minister of Public Service and AdministrationNoxolo Kiviet also said the DA and other parties practise cadre deployment where they govern.
Kiviet denied that the ANC copied the DA’s End Cadre Deployment Bill when they drafted the Public Service Amendment Bill.
The debate continued in Parliament on Tuesday during approval of the Public Service Amendment Bill.
The Bill calls for political office bearers not to hold senior positions in government.
“Let me remind honourable Schreiber that his 2021 bill is almost three years after the ANC and the Department of Public Service and Administration initiated the Bills that we are debating today. It is dangerous for one to cut his nose to spite his own face,” said Kiviet.