ANC Defends Paul Mashatile Against Accusations of Perjury and Fraud After “Fabricating” North West NEC Meeting

• The ANC is closing ranks around its Deputy President Paul Mashatile
• Mashatile has been accused by another party member of lying under oath and intentionally misleading the courts
• The ANC claims that Mashatile was acting on behalf of the party and followed all their decision-making processes

JOHANNESBURG - African National Congress Deputy President Paul Mashatile has been accused of fraud and perjury, but the ruling party has spoken out in his defence.

This comes after a party member in the North West accused Mashatile of lying under oath and misleading the North West High Court so that it would rule in the ANC's favour.

Sello Molefe claimed that Mashatile submitted a falsified affidavit insisting that the NEC had decided that the North West interim provincial committee (IPC) could call a provincial conference.

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According to Molefe, Mashatile, who was the ANC acting secretary-general at the time, made up the meeting so the provincial conference could go ahead, The Citizen reported.

ANC says Paul Mashatile was acting on behalf of the party

The ruling party has closed ranks around its deputy president, claiming Mashatile wasn't acting in his personal capacity but on behalf of the ANC.

The ANC insisted that party records show that all decisions made about the IPC and the election of the North West executive committee followed the ANC's guidelines.

The party slammed Molefe for taking his grievances to the courts, adding that ANC members are better suited to using the party's dispute resolution mechanism.

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South Africa currently doesn't have a deputy president after David Mabuza resigned as a Member of Parliament on Tuesday, 28 February.

Many had expected that Mashatile would fill the vacancy since he was elected the second-in-command of the ruling party during its national elective conference in December.

However, according to ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, the final decision falls on President Cyril Ramahosa's shoulders, IOL reported.

Mbalula said:

"Our structures have the expectation that Paul Mashatile will fill that vacancy. But that prerogative is the prerogative of the president. If the president were to come tomorrow and say something different, he will explain to the ANC why something different and not this way.”

ANC gives former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter 7 days to back up corruption claims, Mzansi angered

In another story, Briefly News reported that the African National Congress gave former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter seven days to prove claims he made against the ANC during an explosive television interview.

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Eskom announced De Ruyter’s immediate departure after he suggested criminality and corruption at the power utility were linked to members of the ANC.

On Sunday, 26 February, the ruling party challenged De Ruyter to lay criminal charges.

Source: Briefly News