Cyril Ramaphosa ANC

Photo: Athi Geleba / Twitter / GCIS

DA wants Zondo Commission to subpoena ANC cadre deployment records

The DA said the records will provide proof of ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa’s true involvement in cadre deployment

Cyril Ramaphosa ANC

Photo: Athi Geleba / Twitter / GCIS

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is far from impressed with African National Congress (ANC) president Cyril Ramaphosa’s appearance at the State Capture Commission.

The DA intends writing to the commission’s chairperson, Deputy Chief Justice (DCJ) Raymond Zondo for a third time, requesting him to subpoena the full set of ANC cadre deployment records.

Ramaphosa testified before the commission about the ANC’s handling of corruption and cadre deployment, among other matters. He previously chaired the party’s deployment committee from 2013 to 2017.

He told the commission that the appointments of controversial figures like Brian Molefe and Matshela Koko to Eskom as well as Dudu Myeni to South African Airways (SAA), bypassed the ANC’s deployment committee.

DA: Ramaphosa is trying to avoid responsibility

The DA’s Leon Schreiber claims however President Cyril Ramaphosa is simply trying to evade responsibility for his role in the ANC’s cadre deployment.

“That is why the Commission must urgently obtain a full record of all decisions taken by Ramaphosa’s cadre deployment committee. These records will provide hard evidence of all the cadre deployment decisions that Ramaphosa was involved in, and will prevent him from further running away from accountability,” Schreiber said.

“We already know these records likely do exist, because the DA previously sought to obtain the ANC’s cadre deployment records through a Promotion of Access to Information (PAIA) request. The ANC denied our request, which clearly indicates that these records contain information that they are determined to hide”

DA MP Leon Schreiber

Leon Schreiber said the records will provide solid and direct evidence of how the ANC, under the leadership of Ramaphosa, systematically and deliberately circumvented appointment processes in the state to appoint the ANC cadres that captured the state.

“Ramaphosa must be called to account for these decisions at his next appearance in front of the Commission”

Ramaphosa told the commission that the ANC doesn’t always consult with its members before it deploys them to certain positions.

“When I appoint cabinet as president, I just say, ‘This is where I want you to go,’ and quite often there are no questions asked. People are deployed as they are informed by their upper leader,” Ramaphosa said.