The Democratic Alliance (DA) has described Thursday’s ruling of the High Court in Johannesburg as a historic victory. The court ordered the African National Congress (ANC) to produce the records of its cadre deployment committee dating from 2013, when Cyril Ramaphosa became its chairperson.
In line with the court’s ruling, the ANC has five days in which to provide to the opposition party with the records, which include committee meeting minutes, WhatsApp conversations, email threads, and CVs in terms of the Promotion to Access to Information Act.
The DA was last week in the North Gauteng Court in Pretoria, asking that it declare the ANC’s Deployment Policy unconstitutional and invalid.
The DA Shadow Public Service and Administration Minister Leon Schrieber says, “The ANC’s rush to keep secrets from the people of South Africa at all costs only serves to confirm that there are many skeletons hidden within the cadre deployment records sought by the DA. After all, if cadre deployment was as harmless as the ANC claims, why are they so desperate to prevent the people of South Africa from seeing the truth of the party’s interference in appointment processes.”
Meanwhile, the ANC says it will seek leave to appeal the court ruling.
The ANC said the committee’s recommendations relating to public service and SOE positions were not binding on government ministers, premiers, or mayors.
The ANC National Spokesperson Mhlengi Bhengu says, “The African National Congress intends to appeal the decision of the Johannesburg High Court in relation to the application brought by the official opposition party, seeking records of our national deployment committee since 2013, under the Promotion of Access to Information Act. The ANC may, in due course, consider conveying its full position on the matter should such a need arise after having obtained conclusive advice from its legal team.”
