African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has dismissed the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) attempt to have its deployment policy declared unconstitutional as a “smokescreen.”
During a media briefing, ANC leaders addressed various matters, including the party’s manifesto launch preparations and the legal battle with the DA over cadre deployment.
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Mbalula described the DA as a “propaganda machine” and stated that their true intention was to challenge transformational policies as unlawful.
He defended the ANC’s deployment strategy and summarized the party’s policy document adopted in 1997. According to Mbalula, deployment should be based on speciality, aptitude, qualification, experience, and capability.
Cadres should be placed and promoted appropriately to utilise their talents and contribute to the national democratic transformation process. He emphasised that transformation is a constitutional imperative.
Mbalula accused the DA of distorting and misrepresenting the ANC’s cadre policy and deployment strategy. He criticised the “anti-transformation forces” for using the courts to hinder or reverse the transformation agenda by imposing a conservative interpretation of the Constitution and the law.
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Mbalula refuted the claim that cadre deployment was unconstitutional and criticized the DA’s spin doctors for spreading false narratives and misleading the nation.
He pointed out that deployment practices, including senior appointments in the public sector, are employed by political parties worldwide to achieve their policy objectives. Mbalula highlighted the prevalence of this practice in the United States, where winning incumbents replace top administration officials.
He accused the DA of being dishonest and misleading the public by presenting itself as a party that does not deploy its members to pursue its policy agenda. Mbalula provided examples of the DA’s own deployment practices in municipalities and the Western Cape.
Mbalula mentioned that the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria dismissed the DA’s case to have cadre deployment declared illegal, stating that it had no basis in law.
The court ruled that political parties can influence the policy direction of a government as long as the public service is protected against partisan misuse. Mbalula emphasised that the issue lies in the flouting of legal processes in appointments, rather than the discussion of potential candidates.
The DA has announced its intention to appeal the high court ruling to the Constitutional Court (ConCourt).
