ANC REJECTS ACCUSATIONS AGAINST CDE WINNIE MANDELA

The African National Congress is outraged by reports that Terry Crawford-Browne has named ANC stalwart and NEC Member, Comrade Winnie Madikizela Mandela, as one of the "concerned MPs" who leaked to him information about the Strategic Defence Procurement Package or the so-called Arms Deal (see Sapa report). With no fear of contradiction, the ANC disputes the allegations as lies being peddled against Comrade Winnie.

She has been and remains a loyal member of the African National Congress who continues to this day to serve in the National Executive Committee of the ANC. As such, Comrade Winnie has always been an outspoken and fearless member of the organisation who at no stage used proxies or feared to raise within the structures of the ANC any issue that she felt needed to be raised. It is implausible therefore that she would "leak" any information to Terry Crawford-Browne and act as a "concerned MP" instead of the stalwart and leader of our organisation that we have always known her to be.

It is quite evident that now that Terry Crawford-Browne is given an opportunity to substantiate the allegations that he has been making about the so-called Arms Deal he is found wanting. He is  attempting to bring credibility to his wild allegations by drawing into the fray leaders of our movement as he has nothing substantive to offer to the Commission.

Over years, he has fought for this matter to be given due credence and the hearing that it has now received and once there he is resorting to outright fabrications and defamations. The ANC stands by Comrade Winnie Madikizela Mandela on this matter and we have no doubt that these allegations against her are nothing but a continuing trend to sow divisions within our organisation.

Statement issued by Jessie Duarte, ANC Deputy Secretary General, October 8 2014

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