The civil rights organisation AfriForum today filed a formal application to the Zondo commission on state capture in terms of which a ruling is requested to subpoena Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa to appear before the commission.

AfriForum specifically asks that Pres. Ramaphosa be questioned about the ANC’s cadre deployment policy and also requests that AfriForum be afforded an opportunity to make submissions in this regard to the commission and also itself to cross-examine the president.

The application results from the fact that Pres. Ramaphosa was chairperson of the ANC’s cadre deployment committee from 2013 to 2016. During this time, several individuals who today are accused of corruption and state capture were appointed to key positions on the ground of their loyalty to the ANC.

Ernst Roets, Head of Policy and Action at AfriForum, explains that the ANC’s cadre deployment policy probably is the most important contributing factor to corruption and state capture.

“The ANC is outspoken about its approach that loyalty to the party is a decisive factor as far as appointments to key positions in the government are concerned. Apparently, this carries even more weight than merit and the ability to do the work. What is cloaked in secrecy, however, is exactly what this committee has been doing, and what individuals have been appointed to key positions on the ground of their loyalty to the party,” Roets says. He adds that this policy covers not only deployments in key positions but also the redeployment of party loyalists.

Individuals in connection with whom AfriForum wants to put questions to Pres. Ramaphosa include the following: Brian Molefe, Dudu Myeni, Pravin Gordhan, Lucky Montana, Jeff Radebe, Joseph Phungula, Sifiso Buthelezi, Thuli Madonsela, Kady Muteba, Patello Lebbaka, Francois van Eeden, Lynette Brown, Nicholas Linnel, Nhlanhla Nene and Modise Motloba.