The African National Congress (ANC), on Monday, hit back at the Democratic Alliance (DA) for creating “fevered speculation” and a disinformation campaign relating to the cadre deployment records the party has been court-ordered to hand over.

Monday is the deadline for the ANC to hand over all records relating to its cadre deployment committee to the DA, following a Constitutional Court judgment handed down last week.

The ANC must hand over all records, encompassing meeting minutes, CVs, emails, Whatsapp messages and other relevant documents.

The DA said on Saturday it rejected the ANC’s request for an extended deadline to submit the documents and warned that it would go back to court for a contempt of court order if the ANC did not comply.

ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said the party would comply with the court order and would hand over the relevant records by the end of business on Monday.

“The ANC rejects the DA’s threats to lay charges of contempt of court against our leadership. The ANC has followed all requirements of the Promotion of Access to Information Act in complying with the court order,” it said.

However, the party noted that during the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, it could not produce the records of the committee between December 2012 and December 2017.

Bhengu-Motsiri said the party had now found some of the records and would hand them over with an explanation as to any records that did not exist or had not been found.

“The ANC has nothing to hide,” she said and warned the DA that the ANC had taken precautions to protect the identity of individuals who did not give their consent for their personal information to be released through the records.

She said the DA should not misuse Constitutional provisions that guaranteed citizens the right of access to information for “narrow party-political advantage”.

DEFENDING CADRE DEPLOYMENT

The ANC defended its position on cade deployment by pointing out that the practice, which it said aimed to advance transformation, was not unique to the party.

“Similar policies are implanted in a number of countries by different parties. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report, ‘Analysis on Political Engagement in Senior Staffing and on the Division of Responsibilities Between Ministers and Senior Civil Servants’ (2007) bears testimony to this. The report concluded that political involvement in governance is essential for the efficient operation of a democracy. It allows a new political administration to influence policy direction,” Bhengu-Motsiri said.

The report also noted that public servants should be protected from being used for political party objectives.

The ANC said the DA and other political parties engaged in deployment practices to fill positions on Parliamentary committees, boards and senior administrative positions.

“While it acknowledges that some past deployments have been problematic, the ANC affirms that over the years it has deployed individuals with impressive qualifications and credentials and is proud of its cadres who have achieved great outcomes for South Africa, and those who are shoulder to the wheel, driving transformation and societal renewal in challenging socio-economic circumstances,” Bhengu-Motsiri said.