DA wants review of 'ANC-influenced posts' amid publication of deployment committee minutes

The DA wants the Public Service Commission (PSC) to probe government appointments allegedly influenced by the ANC's deployment committee. 

The Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture made public minutes of the committee submitted by the ANC after the appearance of President Cyril Ramaphosa before the commission. 

Earlier, the DA made an application using the Promotion of Access to Information Act to have the minutes made public. 

The DA is taking legal action to get minutes of the committee dating back to 2013 when Ramaphosa, as deputy president, chaired the deployment committee. 

On Wednesday, DA MP Leon Schreiber confirmed that his party would approach the PSC.

“This analysis [of the committee minutes] and all the accompanying documents will be submitted to the Public Service Commission as a first step in combating this. We will request the PSC to review all of these appointments. 

“Where they have been found to be illegally influenced, those appointments must be redone. And that is the process that the DA will be monitoring closely,” said Schreiber.

According to the minutes, the ANC deployment committee in the past three years influenced appointments in 88 state entities.

The minutes were published last week and appear to reveal how the party influenced appointments, including those of judges. The minutes show the ANC also allegedly had a hand in the appointment of CEOs of water boards, such as Rand Water, Nkomati, TransCaledon, Amatola, Lepelle Northern, Umgeni, Magalies and Sedibeng.

The boards of state entities, including the SA Post Office, the Passenger Rail Agency of SA, the Road Accident Fund, Post Bank, the National Lottery, the Railway Safety Regulator and SANParks were not spared.

Schreiber said no political party should be allowed to have a secret committee sitting somewhere and deciding appointments to state positions.

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