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ANC deputy president David Mabuza met with the ANC's integrity commission on Friday, ahead of Cyril Ramaphosa's inauguration as President of the country on Saturday, according to The Sunday Times.
News24 reported on Wednesday that Mabuza had requested that his swearing in as a member of the National Assembly was postponed at his request following allegations that he had brought the party into disrepute.
The decision followed an ANC integrity commission report, tabled at the party's special national executive committee (NEC) meeting on Monday.
"The deputy president made the request in light of a report by the ANC Integrity Commission in which he is alleged to have prejudiced the integrity of the ANC and brought the organisation into disrepute. The deputy president has indicated he would like to have an opportunity to address the integrity commission on these allegations," an ANC statement read.
According to The City Press, the committee on Friday gave Mabuza reasons why his name had been flagged. Mabuza was also given an opportunity to respond.
Integrity commission hearings
ANC national chair Gwede Mantashe also appeared before the committee on Friday, in an effort to clear his name.
Integrity committee chairperson, George Mashamba, told City Press that 20 more candidates would appear before the committee for a hearing from Sunday. The commission is expected to hand over its report on the group to Luthuli House on Tuesday. According to the Sunday Times, this report will be discussed at the ANC's national executive committee which meets at the end of the week.
Ramaphosa is expected to announce his cabinet this week.
According to City Press, the President has been lobbying hard to convince Mabuza to accept the position of deputy president. He reportedly even sent a close ally to meet with Mabuza to discuss the issue.
On Friday, the Public Protector cleared Mabuza in two of her reports, according to News24. Busisiwe Mkhwebane found that he was not involved in the irregular procurement of four luxury vehicles worth R5m for his office when he was Mpumalanga premier. He was also cleared of involvement in the Mpumlanga government's event management contract for former president Nelson Mandela's memorial service.
Mistake
On Saturday, EFF leader Julius Malema said Ramaphosa would be making a mistake if he does not name David Mabuza as his deputy, reported News24.
"If you make that mistake of not appointing DD, you won't make it past the National General Council. As a president you must always put your deputy next to you. If he wants peace, we all know how it started before Polokwane. Zuma said I want to clear [my name] but behind the scenes he said to us, they forced me out and we came charging."
Speculation has swirled that Naledi Pandor and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma could be in the running for deputy president.
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Naledi Pandor. (Photos via GCIS)
However, Pandor brushed off this notion, saying the president was the one who would appoint his deputy.
The City Press reported that Ramaphosa wanted to reduce the size of the cabinet from 72 positions to just 32.
He will need to consult with the ANC top 6 and ANC allies in this process before making his announcement, which is expected to be made later this week.
