ANC candidates fall short
2003-07-15 18:48
Sizwe samaYende and Justin Arenstein
Nelspruit - The African National Congress (ANC) on Tuesday attempted to dispel concerns that its election list committee in Mpumalanga fell short of new national ethics guidelines.
The committee, which will screen all provincial ANC candidates for next year's general election, includes at least three contentious politicians and an SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) radio presenter.
Their inclusion on the eight-member committee appears to undermine President Thabo Mbeki's pledge that candidates for the 2004 election will be above reproach, with no history of ill-discipline, corruption, or other vice.
At least one of Mpumalanga's list committee members, health MEC Sibongile Manana, is the subject of two recent forensic probes into irregular expenditure and a related ongoing Scorpions investigation into alleged corruption.
Two others, David Mkhwanazi and Busi Coleman, have repeatedly been embroiled in corruption or nepotism scandals.
Corruption
Mkhwanazi's environmental affairs department was repeatedly criticised for illegal or corrupt deals, mismanagement, and nepotism by investigators including the Auditor General and Heath Special Investigative Unit between 1994 and 1999.
He finally resigned from government in 1999 in the wake of an AG report condemning unauthorised expenditure of over R20m, and media revelations that he was a secret shareholder in an aviation company specifically created to service government.
Coleman still heads Mpumalanga's welfare department, but has had to explain her husband's role in a pension company that won a major provincial government contract.
ANC provincial secretary Lucas Mello said on Tuesday that politicians would only be excluded from the list committee if convicted of a serious crime by a court.
"Things like Auditor General reports and internal [forensic] investigations are just opinions and not convictions. There was never enough [evidence] to put people behind bars," said Mello.
Remains an integral part
"There are allegations against Manana, but they are not finalised and cannot prejudice her. She remains an integral member of the ANC."
Mello also insisted that SABC presenter Reverend Micah Nthale's inclusion on the ANC list committee did not undermine the independence of the public broadcaster.
"He will not be using his radio programmes to canvas for the party, and will not be expected to otherwise influence people to vote for the ANC. We have recruited Reverend Nthale as a priest for his spiritual wisdom, to help defuse any heated debates by giving moral guidance," said Mello.
Mello also stressed that the list committee was merely a screening agent, that simply compiled lists of suitable candidates, adjudicated on objections or complaints about nominations, and co-ordinated a series of ANC list conferences in the province.
"Their decisions have to be ratified by the provincial and national executive committees," said Mello.
One in three a woman
Nomination forms for 30 possible provincial legislature posts, 10 parliamentary posts and eight National Council of Provinces (NCOP) posts have already been distributed to ANC branches in Mpumalanga.
Branch and regional nomination lists are expected to be complete by the end of September, with final voting on a consolidated list scheduled for Mpumalanga's list conference in October. At least 30% of the list, or every third candidate, will be a woman.
Only paid-up ANC members will be allowed to vote, or stand for election. ANC tripartite alliance members, such as SA Communist Party members, who seek election on an ANC ticket will have to ensure they are ANC members 'in good standing' to qualify.
"We are also not, like in the past, reserving positions specifically for alliance partners. They will have to be elected in their individual capacity, as ANC members, to win any place on our list," said Mello.
The pool of possible ANC election candidates has, however, dramatically shrunk from a high of 48 000 members one year ago to a current low of just 24 000 paid-up members.
Recruitment drive
"We are embarking on a recruitment drive, and hope to rebuild our membership to its previous levels by the end of the year," said Mello.
He also confirmed that an estimated 30% of ANC branches in the province were dysfunctional, with illegal or irregularly constituted leadership committees.
"The provincial executive has stepped in to assist where necessary, and is confident that we will get everyone running properly relatively soon," he said.
The ANC's full Mpumalanga list committee consists of Mello, Coleman, Mkhwanazi, Manana, Nthale, Lydia Pretorius, youth leader Screamer Skosana, and local South African Council of Churches' leader Reverend GM Mthembu. - African Eye News Service