We may soon see AfriForum vs Ramaphosa at the State Capture Inquiry

AfriForum has filed an application with the State Capture Inquiry on Monday, seeking an opportunity to cross-examine Cyril Ramaphosa. The president did previously agree to appear at the Zondo Commission, and now the Afrikaner lobby group has one specific topic it wants to investigate – that of ‘cadre deployment‘.

What is cadre deployment?

That’s the term given to the ANC’s rotation of senior diplomats across multiple posts. Members that have to leave public office, including those who depart for nefarious reasons, usually end up resurfacing elsewhere in Luthuli House. AfriForum has made its list of demands clear, submitting the following points as the basis for their request:

• – As well as cross-examining the President, AfriForum wants to make written submissions in regard to the commission.

• – Cyril previously served as the chair of the ANC’s committee on cadre deployment from 2013 to 2016.

• – In those years, it is claimed that several individuals ‘accused of corruption and coup-plotting’ were appointed to key positions.

• – Ernst Roets, the group’s head of policy, claims that cadre deployment is ‘a direct cause of state capture’.

AfriForum vs Ramaphosa: Coming to a State Capture Inquiry near you

Roets, one of the leading voices of the South African right-wing, has been highly critical of Ramaphosa’s presidency. Indeed, the 68-year-old could soon face some of the trickiest questions he’s had to field since the Bosasa debacle. DCJ Raymond Zondo will now evaluate the merits of the application, before deciding if a cross-examination can go ahead.

“The ANC is outspoken about its approach that loyalty to the party is a determining factor when it comes to appointments to key positions in the government. It apparently carries even more weight than merit and the ability to do the job.”

“However, what is mysterious about this is exactly what these committees do and do not do, as well as which individuals have been appointed to key positions based on their loyalty to the party.  This policy is not only about deployments in key positions, but also about the redeployment of party loyalists.”

Ernst Roets