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The DA has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of presiding over a committee in the ANC that has been “the roots” of state capture.
The DA said it had proof that there was a secret committee in the ANC, called the cadre deployment committee, which influenced the appointment of people to key positions.
DA MP and shadow minister for public service and administration Leon Schreiber told the media in a press conference on Wednesday that Ramaphosa had been the chairperson of this committee between 2013 and 2018:
Schreiber said the existence of this committee, which was said to be meeting once a month, was the root of state capture.
“During the Ramaphosa presidency, from May 2018 to May 2021, the committee intervened in appointment processes at 88 state institutions, including courts, chapter 9 institutions, state-owned enterprises and government departments. During this three-year period, the committee summoned 29 ministers and deputy ministers, as well as Ramaphosa himself, to direct the appointment of ANC cadres to key positions,” said Schreiber.
READ: ANC dishonest about cadre minutes – DA
He said, because of this cadre deployment committee, the appointments of many people to influential positions, such as ministers and directors-general, were due to loyalty and not capability or qualifications.
The DA said it was going to approach the Speaker of Parliament:
He said the results of their analysis of the ANC’s cadre deployment meeting minutes which confirmed that state capture continues unabated, through cadre deployment, still happened in the Ramaphosa administration.
“After compiling this evidence, the DA will use it as the basis for a formal complaint to the Public Service Commission (PSC). Our complaint will request that the PSC, as the constitutional custodian of the public service, investigate each and every one of the appointments contained in the ANC’s cadre deployment committee minutes. In cases where the PSC confirms illegality, the DA will insist that those appointment processes are rerun and that, this time, skilled applicants are not excluded simply because they are not a cadre of the corrupt ANC,” explained Schreiber.
READ: DA files court papers challenging ANC's cadre deployment
He went on to say that the analysis would form the basis for a request by the DA’s deputy chief whip, Siviwe Gwarube, to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, for an urgent debate of national importance on the devastating effects of cadre deployment on the public service and the fight against corruption.
“But approaching the PSC and initiating a debate of national importance in Parliament is only the first step in what will be a concerted and sustained campaign by the DA over the coming months to use the historic window of opportunity created by our publication of these minutes and the state capture commission to abolish cadre deployment once and for all.
Graphic | Zondo capture commission in numbers
“Key findings of the analysis that the DA will submit to the PSC include that, far from disbanding or stopping its interference in appointment processes following the resignation of Jacob Zuma in 2018, the deployment committee remains highly active under Ramaphosa, and usually meets about once per month to interfere with public sector appointments.”
Schreiber said the deployment committee did not only make recommendations; there were numerous instances in which the committee amended proposals:
“In fact, in most cases, it is ministers who make recommendations, and the ANC cadre deployment committee that decides on appointments,” he said.
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