ROAD TO ELECTIVE CONFERENCE
Bathabile Dlamini disqualified from standing for ANC’s National Executive Committee
The head of the ANC’s Electoral Committee, Kgalema Motlanthe, sent Dlamini a letter in which he explained that a process to vet nominees had found information which negatively affected her eligibility to stand for nomination as a candidate for any NEC positions.
Former ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini has been dealt a huge blow after being disqualified from standing for the National Executive Committee (NEC) at the party’s national elective conference next week.
Dlamini was one of the front-runners in the race for NEC positions, making it to number 15 on the list released by the committee last week after receiving 856 branch nominations.
On Wednesday, the ANC’s Electoral Committee head, Kgalema Motlanthe, sent Dlamini a letter in which he explained that a process to vet nominees had found information which negatively affected Dlamini’s eligibility to stand for nomination as a candidate for any NEC positions, including as an additional member.
“The vetting information at our disposal reveals that you have a historical record of being guilty of a serious crime in a court of law for which the prison sentence had been more than six months,” reads the letter.
This relates to a court ruling this year which found the former minister of social development guilty of perjury for lying under oath during an inquiry into the social grants debacle at the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa).
She was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment or a R200,000 fine, and opted for the latter.
Dlamini had concealed from the judge that she had set up a parallel structure to Sassa with “workstreams” that reported directly to her.
The saga began in 2012 and was fought long and hard, beginning with a Constitutional Court ruling in 2014 that the contract between Sassa and Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) was invalid.
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“To be specific, you are summarily disqualified as a candidate for all NEC positions including additional members during the 55th national conference as per… rules which have been approved by the NEC,” states Motlanthe’s letter.
Dlamini is a strong ally of former president Jacob Zuma and led the Women’s League before it was dissolved earlier this year. She is still an influential member of the ruling party and this was proven again in the nomination list released recently.
On her Facebook profile, Dlamini posted the letter from Motlanthe, accusing the Electoral Committee of manipulating electoral processes.
Bathabile Dlamini speaks at Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s birthday celebration in Senaone, Soweto. (Photo: Lucky Nxumalo)
“How do they inform you of the vetting process after releasing the list?” reads the post. “No electoral process or conference rule is above the constitution of the ANC and this I will fight tooth and nail no patriarchy will purge me from the ANC no bra scap [sic] will purge me and no tribalism and ethnicity will purge me no narrow nationalism will purge me I am sorry.”
Another member who was found to have lied under oath is former finance minister Malusi Gigaba. He received the second-highest number of nominations for the NEC. He resigned as minister in 2018 after his last bid to appeal against a court finding that he lied under oath was dismissed by the Constitutional Court. DM
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The more brazen the crime, the more branch votes the perp wins.
No patriarchy, no tribalism, no ethnicity, no narrow nationalism will purge me. It doesn’t even bear mentioning that no criminal record will block any candidacy.
The ANC is almost like those gangs where candidates for membership have to prove themselves by gunning down some innocent bystander in cold blood. Only a record of honest, self-sacrificing service will disqualify candidates for nomination by branches.
That is today’s ANC in a nutshell.
Ms Dlamini should be in jail not trumpeting in public. She does not know of the difference between right and wrong, does not know that telling a lie is wrong.
What does this tell you of her character and leadership ability and what does it tell you of those that champion her leadership ambitions?
We are at the bottom of the barrel, passed the dregs!
An early Christmas present!
Interesting (and bloody depressing) to see how highly regarded the convicted crooks are within the ANC. The party should consider running some kind of education around the meaning of the laws, and the legal process. Many seem to think the law is a political ploy! Manyi as a prime example, saying the Con court didn’t give any reason for dismissing Zuma’s case against Downer and Maughn. No understanding that the phrase “No prospect of success” actually means that there is no LEGAL basis for the application. And so on and so on……
All great comments and precisely the reason why this country is in such serious and almost irreversible dwang with such rotten, thieving, immoral and incompetent halfwits and utter scumbags at the helm. An incestuous and vile bunch who keep on getting recycled and then cry foul at the so-called victimisation and political conspiracy. This hideous mob doesn’t know right from wrong, have grand illusions of entitlement, are arrogant in the extreme for no justifiable reason and are like a putrid smell that just doesn’t go away. The bar is set so low that any moron could succeed in being nominated – as long as they have proven credentials of being a cadre (aka idiot) criminal, fraudster and a thief. And this is what the ANC degenerates selects????
A hypocrite and parasite calling herself a victim. Shamelessly want to take another multiple bites.
I would call myself a victim if the person is Kgalema Motlanthe who first announces the list instead of doing a dignified thing to inform those who do not qualify before the list was announced. This is a person Asanda Ngoasheng never forgets to tell us that he gave a tender to his girlfriend. This is the person with Jeff Radebe who hollowed out the NPA and closed down the Scorpions. This is the person who says nothing about the ANC Presidential contestants who have serious questions hanging over their heads. Bathabile will be reinstated by conference because of the fine. You can read the list of the NEC and many have question marks.
Tata what makes her case different to others is that she found guilty in a court of law.
These laws/ rules are not new. They have been there long time to prevent lying, thieving, criminal, murdering, manipulative scumbags from squirming their way back into positions of power.