ANC still open for state capture investigation - Mkhize

10 June 2016

Johannesburg - ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize has implied the ANC’s door is still open to consider written complaints about alleged state capture by the Gupta family.

“In reality, the ANC takes these allegations seriously, but as far as we are concerned, we would resist any form of capturing the ANC,” he said at the Daily Maverick’s The Gathering in Midrand on Friday.

The ANC last month announced it would discontinue its internal investigation into the allegations because it only received one written statement on the matter – from former government spokesperson Themba Maseko.

“If we don’t get a written statement, it is not possible to move with it,” Mkhize told the packed audience.

“People need to come forward and say here are issues we need to table, so we say we need to move on with elections. But if someone comes and says here are the statements, we need to act on it.”

The SACP last week said it would still lodge a complaint once it had an opportunity to meet the ANC and President Jacob Zuma.

Mkhize was asked about the recent announcement that South Africa’s economic growth was down. He said there were factors other than the head of state that influenced this. Business and government needed to co-operate to improve economic growth.

Mkhize was, however, coy to respond when asked whether he would support Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa’s possible candidacy for the ANC’s 2017 leadership election.

“One issue I’m not getting into is 2017 succession,” he said. The party would decide on the matter at its conference, when the time was right.

“Internal and informal discussions remain so. The conference is coming. We will talk about it at the right time.”

Ramaphosa was invited to address The Gathering, but the ANC sent Mkhize instead.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.