Clear separation between state and political parties needed: ANC

By Johnathan Paoli

While the African National Congress has welcomed a Constitutional Court ruling that removes a blanket ban on all municipal employees from holding office, it believes it is important to maintain a professional and impartial public administration.

The Municipal Systems Amendment Act was declared unconstitutional. The law introduced sweeping prohibitions on political participation by municipal workers, extending what was previously a limited restriction – intended only for senior municipal managers – to all 350,000 employees in local government.

“We support the constitutional principle that there must be a clear separation between the state and political parties, particularly where that separation is necessary to preserve the integrity and functionality of governance,” said ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri.

“It was for this reason that the ANC initially supported carefully tailored limitations on political office-bearers within the senior administrative ranks of municipalities, a position that balanced constitutional rights with good governance.”

However,