During a recent ANC NEC meeting, Paul Mashatile and Thembi Simelane were asked to leave the room because the party was discussing allegations of corruption linked to them.
The meeting was led by the ANC’s Integrity Commission, which is the body responsible for looking into wrongdoing by party members. They were presenting updates on some of the cases they have been investigating.
Since Mashatile and Simelane are directly involved in two of those cases, they were told to step out while the discussions went on. This is part of the party’s rule to ensure fairness and to avoid any conflict of interest while dealing with such serious matters.
Paul Mashatile, who is the Deputy President of the country, has been in the news over concerns about properties linked to him and his close family. Reports have been going around about how some homes were bought under unclear circumstances, and the commission is still busy looking into those claims. He had earlier gone to the Integrity Commission to give his side of the story, but the matter has not been settled yet.
Thembi Simelane, who is also a senior government official, is being investigated for a loan she received during her time as mayor. The loan was from a company connected to a much bigger scandal involving VBS Mutual Bank, where large amounts of money went missing. Even though she said she did nothing wrong, the matter is still being reviewed by the party.
These two cases have put the ANC under pressure, especially since the party has promised to take stronger action against corruption. There is a rule in the ANC called “step-aside,” which means anyone who is facing serious allegations must step away from leadership roles until the issue is resolved. This is why both leaders had to leave the meeting when their matters were being spoken about.
The ANC wants to show that it is serious about cleaning up its image. Over the years, many top members have been accused of corruption, and the public has lost trust. By asking Mashatile and Simelane to leave the room during the meeting, the party is trying to show that it is following its own rules and giving the Integrity Commission space to do its job without influence.
The final decisions about whether these two will be removed from their positions or allowed to continue will depend on what the commission finds. For now, the party says it is still listening to all sides before taking further steps.
