Former president Jacob Zuma has refuted claims by former Public Enterprises Minister Barbara Hogan that party loyalty is the determining factor into senior government and SOE appointments.
Evidence leader Paul Pretorius referred to a bundle from Hogan’s evidence, highlighting her mention of “parallel processes” to deploy cadres to government positions.
Confirming that the ANC has a dedicated deployment committee, Zuma said the party has “an interest once it has put its government, adding that the reasoning is that ANC seeks to ensure that those deployed to government implement the policies and resolutions of the party.
“The deployment committee does not necessarily appoint, it recommends,” Zuma said.
Zondo intervened, saying his impression of Hogans testimony is that she seemed to suggest that membership of the ANC or an Alliance partner is the determining factor that the deployment committee considers.
“In other countries when the opposition wins elections, it removes everyone from government who belonged to the old party and replace them with their to implement policies,” Zuma replied.
Pretorius then asked Zuma to clarify, “your emphasis is on an ability and willingness to implement the policies of the party,” rather than being close to the organisation?
“Yes. Generally that is how it is,” Zuma responded.
Pretorius then focussed on parts of Hogan’s testimony where she said factional battles in the ANC led to favourable appointments at SOEs.
Zuma said this was not true and that comrades who were on opposite sides would have been appointed.
Zuma then said: “My problem chair is that here it is a report to a commission it gets into some happenings in the party and they are not accurate .. We will now end up discussing the ANC politics.”
Zondo waded in, saying there are ANC decisions that may have a bearing on government and its functions and this could be of importance and interest to the Commission because the ANC is the ruling party.
Zuma maintained that people are not appointed on the basis of ‘this or that’ faction.
“You can’t say that the whole ANC NEC is a faction and therefore it has appointed its faction.”
Zuma added that senior positions in government and on SOE boards are always filled by asking: “Are we getting the right person [and will they implement ANC policy], again dismissing claims that factionalism is the determining factor into who is deployed where.
