Police Minister Senzo Mchunu will continue serving as a Member of Parliament as well as in the ANC’s National Executive Committee and National Working Committee. ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula who briefed the media on Tuesday said President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to place Mchunu on “special leave” does not affect his role in the party.
“Comrade Senzo is a member of the NWC. He’s a member of the NEC. There’s no curtailment on those roles. We in fact expected him to attend the meeting yesterday and he gave me an apology and I told him that I need to sit down with him. That this absence of leave, we are not affected by it as the ANC. His absence of leave is in relation to his point of deployment. So we will straighten up issues. He will come to meetings. He must execute his task as a leader of the ANC and then he must respond to what the president have decided in government,” said Mbalula.
Mbalula’s comments come as opposition parties reject Ramaphosa’s decision arguing he should have simply fired Mchunu and there’s no legal provision for a minister to be placed on special leave. Both uMkhonto weSizwe Party and the EFF have threatened to challenge the President in court should he fail to remove Mchunu as a minister.
The EFF’s lawyers have since written to the president urging him to not continue with what it believes to be an unlawful decision. Among others, the EFF said the decision would result in the state having to pay for salaries and perks of two ministers.
“This unlawfulness is compounded by the fact that Professor Cachalia, if/when appointed, will
also be entitled to the same Minister’s salary and other perks and benefits including the appointment of special advisors and staff. The taxpayer would be paying twice but for one person to do the job of Minister of Police whilst the other is not required to do anything at all. In our client’s respectful view this is an abuse of
the President’s constitutional authority and makes a mockery of good governance,” said the EFF in the letter.
Mbalula was dismissive of questions about the state having to pay two ministers when only one is working speculating that Ramaphosa will likely ensure that it does not happen.
“On the 1st of August, the president in his (23:54) speech did not address the question of appointments. How is he going to deal with the question you are asking? He will then address that in relation to implementing section 91 subsection C of the constitution and then address what happens to a person who is put on special leave.
“Okay, now where me and you we are today is what you are asking. Are we going to pay for two ministers of police? I’m saying no. The question that must be answered what happens to Senzo Wiles on leave and that question will be answered by the president on the 1st of August,” said Mbalula.
Mbalula defended Ramaphosa’s decision arguing that firing Mchunu would amount to pre-judging the outcome of the commission of inquiry that is to probe the allegations made by Kwazulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi which include that law enforcement agencies have been infiltrated by drug cartels and that Mchunu and other politicians have been captured by criminals and have interfered with investigations to protect their handlers.
He commended the president’s decision to set up a commission of inquiry as decisive.
“That’s it. We’ve had many stories. Individuals, criminals, crooks, others are in jail, others outside and all of that. No more TikTok commission is there. We don’t want TikTok. We want commission and that commission has got powers. You go around saying things, they will subpoena you to deal with you in terms of that commission,” said Mbalula.