By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile has again moved to defend cadre deployment, saying it is a brilliant program used by political parties the world over.
Mashatile was answering questions in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
His remarks come amid a lengthy legal battle between the ANC and the DA over the governing party’s cadre deployment policy.
The ANC was compelled by the Constitutional Court to hand over the records of its cadre deployment committee dating back to January 2013, when President Cyril Ramaphosa was the committee chairman.
He said the Democratic Alliance (DA) was also practising cadre deployment where it governs.
The ANC and the DA have been fighting over cadre deployment over the last few weeks. The DA has filed a urgent application for contempt order against the ANC after it failed to hand over all records of the deployment committee when President Cyril Ramaphosa was chairing it.
But Mashatile said there was nothing wrong with cadre deployment.
The deputy president was answering questions in the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday on a range of issues.
DA member Kathleen Labuschagne said the ANC’s cadre deployment policy was unlawful.
But Mashatile said there was nothing wrong with the policy as the DA was also practicing it where it governs.
“If you want to know about cadre development, I will make time for you to talk about that because it is such a brilliant programme that all parties in the world (practice) it. If the DA does not develop its cadres then you are deploying people who are not fit for purpose.
“We, in the ANC, make sure that if someone has to go and lead in any sector they have the requisite skills to be able to do so. That is what cadre development is all about. We are not shy to talk about it. We are not embarrassed because a lot of the people in the public service today, top people have been trained by the ANC.”
“Many of the people have been trained by the ANC, some of them sent to best schools in Europe and America. That is cadre development,” said Mashatile.
Mashatile explained that the ANC established a cadre development policy and a deployment process after the democratic breakthrough in 1994 to safeguard democracy and good governance, while assuring rapid and purposeful transformation.
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