The ANC has been accused of showing the middle finger to the public for allegedly nominating people who have been implicated in the State Capture Commission report.
The Activists and Citizens Forum said the governing party disrespected the people of the country who spent more than R1 billion on a Commission to investigate State Capture and Corruption.
The forum said the Commission handed over a solid report with findings and recommendations.
This was after the ANC updated the media on the candidate selection for the national and provincial government elections coming on May 29.
In a media briefing, held on Friday at Luthuli House, the ANC said its list of could include some of the implicated in the State Capture Commission report.
This was after the governing party’s spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri confirmed that members who have been cleared by the party’s internal process are included in the list.
However, the party said it would make public its candidates list on Monday.
The ANC also said its election committee has followed a thorough interview and vetting process for all the candidates to ensure that the list reflects the deployment of individuals characterised by the right skill-set, integrity, experience and capabilities to serve the demands at provincial and national government.
The party also added that all candidates subject themselves to lifestyle audits, to have not been charged in a court of law, nor have adverse findings against them from the ANC disciplinary process nor by the ANC Integrity Commission.
The forum’s spokesperson Dennis Bloem said: “Without any shame, senior ANC leaders like Gwede Mantashe, Zizi Kodwa, David Mahlobo, Malusi Gigaba, Cedric Frolick and many other tainted characters, once again, appeared on the ANC nomination parliamentary list,” he said.
Bloem said this was disappointing as the party was expected to implement the Commission’s recommendations.
He added that this shows corruption was a status in the ANC.
“One must be very corrupt to climb the ladder to the highest office of the ANC.
“The Activists and Citizens Forum calls upon voters not to vote for people who have destroyed our country, who are responsible for this crippling load shedding, Eskom is destroyed, they are responsible for this unemployment, people who are at the heart of State Capture and Corruption,” Bloem said.
The forum’s statement came after the ANC candidate lists appeared to have emanated from Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) online candidates nomination system circulated on social media from Friday.
However, the party said the list was unauthorised.
“We have conveyed our concerns to the IEC about this unauthorised release of personal information in potential contravention of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA),” the party said.
Sunday Independent