Johannesburg — The ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) has slammed the leaking of Ace Magashule’s Integrity Committee (IC) report, which called for the party secretary-general to step aside.
The women’s league slammed the committee, which is headed by George Mashamba, and called on the body to guard against purging ANC leadership through coercion by the party’s “historical class enemies”.
On Tuesday, the party through spokesperson Pule Mabe said that Magashule would not step aside immediately and the national executive committee (NEC) would engage with the report “at the right time”.
The secretary-general faces criminal charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering in relation to the R255 million asbestos saga.
A warrant of arrest was issued for the former Free State premier and he appeared in the Bloemfontein High Court.
ANCWL secretary-general Meokgo Matuba said they would continued to defend the unity and integrity of the ANC and its principles, against “any tendency towards disruption and factionalism”.
Matuba slammed the integrity committee “and its impatient reports” and said they would await for the NEC to adopt the modalities of the step-aside rule.
“In executing its roles and responsibilities, the IC should not seek to prove themselves to populist demagogues for peddling lies and pitting ANC comrades against each other.
“The IC must be guided by a high level of integrity and principles of the ANC. The ANCWL will engage ANC officials and the IC for its divisive nature and its inconsistency in dealing with cases before it.
“As women, we will stand in defence of the movement of our foremothers at this difficult time.
“The energy invested in stepping aside which, among others, is about the fight against fraud and corruption, must be extended and be used to advance the implementation of the resolutions that seek to address social economic freedom in our lifetime.
“The same energy must be used to fight against violence on women and children,” she said.
Matuba said the league supported the implementation of conference resolutions from Nasrec, which included the nationalisation of the South African Reserve Bank, expropriation of land without compensation and establishment of a State Bank.
“We support the fight against fraud and corruption, however, we will not endorse any IC report which appears to be advancing a particular counter-revolutionary narrative against the decision of the ANC NEC,” she said.
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