EDITORIAL: ANC’s anticorruption double standards

Ordinarily, South Africans, who are fed up with corruption, should celebrate the news of the suspension of Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae, the ANC premier of the Free State. However, the party has since walked back on the decision, labelling it special leave of absence.

Letsoha-Mathae became premier of the province after the party’s national leadership overlooked Mxolisi Dukwana who served as premier ahead of the May elections.

In the past month, a business person with lucrative tenders from the provincial government blew the whistle. He claimed he had bought cars for Letsoha-Mathae and her husband, Lawrence Mathae, and paid them more than R2m in alleged bribes. These tenders have since been cancelled, forcing the business person to disclose the shocking events.

The Hawks are investigating the claims that also implicate Dukwana, now provincial speaker, in the sleaze.

Action SA has laid criminal charges against the premier. No action has been taken by the party structures — both national and provincial — against Dukwana or the premier’s spouse.

To add a twist into the intrigue, the party has named Jabu Mbalula as interim premier for the month that Letsoha-Mathae will be away. Mbalula, the brother of ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, is a curious appointment. He is not senior at all.

Over the weekend, the party sought to explain the premier’s absence as medical-related instead of suspension; something the public would have expected.

On the face of it, this flip-flop suggests that political decisions, including senior appointments, are informed by the party’s factional calculus. The premier is Luthuli House’s favourite, hence the need to protect her image.

This is a mere continuation of a growing trend of double standards regarding dealing with corruption.

The trend is worse at national level. And fingers for this tolerance of corruption are pointed at Luthuli House.

Raymond Zondo, the former chief justice who headed the state capture commission, made adverse findings against senior officials of the ANC. These included Malusi Gigaba and David Mahlobo, respectively MP and deputy minister for water & sanitation.

The ANC Veterans League tried and failed to have tainted ANC candidates left out of the MPs list before the elections.

For months, the league has tried to get Mbalula to draft disciplinary charges against implicated individuals. The party’s top officials have found all sorts of excuses to justify their inaction.

This is a mockery of the party’s commitment to fighting corruption, which has bled it votes over the years.

Worse, President Cyril Ramaphosa has yet to act against Thembi Simelane, the justice minister who is mired in the VBS Mutual Bank-related scandal. The minister has admitted to receiving a “loan” from a company that was encouraging municipalities, including one she ran, to make illegal deposits to the mutual society bank.

A slap on the wrist would have been placing her on special leave or, better still, moving her to a portfolio that does not oversee the National Prosecuting Authority, which may or not charge her as part of its probe.

In a week, the ANC will find itself under pressure when the Phala Phala matter, involving its president, is heard by the Constitutional Court.

All this has served to demonstrate, once more, that the ANC is not serious about fighting corruption.