Johannesburg - The ANC in Gauteng has vowed to defend its provincial chairperson, Premier David Makhura over what it has described as an “ill-informed, opportunistic and frivolous” motion of no confidence against him by the DA.
The ANC’s condemnation of the motion on Wednesday came after the DA submitted a document to Speaker of the Gauteng legislature Ntombi Mekgwe, asking for an urgent legislative sitting to debate the motion.
The DA’s alleged that Judge Selewe Mothle of the Special Tribunal set up to hear the matter, had ruled that Makhura personally instructed former Gauteng Health chief financial officer Kabelo Lehloenya, to award personal protective equipment tenders to certain companies of his choice.
But the court has since then rescinded that ruling and expunged the insinuation.
In his revised judgment, Judge Mothle said: “I have, on receipt of the premier’s application, realised that the omission of the word “Office of” before “the Premier and “the MEC” in the judgment text is capable of being construed to mean that the tribunal has found or decided that it was the premier personally, or the MEC personally who supplied the names. There was no such decision or finding made on the allegations.“
The ANC’s chief whip in the provincial legislature, Mzi Khumalo said they welcomed Makhura’s decision to bring the application to the Special Tribunal to correct an, “erroneously written judgment on the alleged involvement of the Premier in the PPE procurement irregularities.”
Khumalo further maintained that the judgment showed that Makhura has nothing to hide and is assisting the work of the Tribunal.
“A united ANC caucus will close ranks in defence of a towering Premier whose track record speaks volumes on the success of his administration since 2014,” Khumalo said.
He added that the ANC caucus in the legislature would defeat “this ill-conceived motion”, saying “we remain committed to fight corruption and malfeasance whenever and wherever it occurs and we won’t be distracted by the gimmicks and grandstanding by the DA and their ilk.”
Political Bureau