WATCH: Funding still a concern for ANC despite CR17 ruling, says Jessie Duarte

Durban - In what appears to signal that the issue of the CR17 funds will now be a battle that will be fought within the ruling party, ANC’s deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte said they still have “concerns” with the use of money during internal party elections. 

In a social media video titled: @MyANC Deputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte on current affairs and posted by the party parliamentary wing (@ANCParliament), Duarte says the matter will likely take a great deal of their time in their party's national general council billed for July this year. 

%%%twitter https://twitter.com/MYANC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MyANCDeputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte on current affairs. pic.twitter.com/1KwZQBDAml

— ANC Parliament (@ANCParliament)

Duarte said the high court victory by ANC and President Cyril Ramaphosa against Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane early this week does not take their eyes off the funding ball. 

Ramaphosa fought and won the battle to quash a report which was sparked by a R500 000 donation from Bosasa to his CR17 fund which was established to finance his run for ANC presidency in 2017.

“The ANC is saying that we are pleased that this process (the court case) is done with. It doesn't take away the concerns that we have had about the influence of money on internal elections in the organisation. It’s an ongoing debate, it's an ongoing discussion. It is certainly going to occupy a great deal of our time during our national general council (NGC) and it is not a debate that is requiring anyone to be punished or resign. It's a matter that should have been dealt with many years ago because it’s not new,” said Duarte in the video.

Duarte also said it does not help to concentrate on Ramaphosa's funds and the funds of other candidates should also be looked into. In this case the debate of funds would also include Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Dr Zweli Mkhize, Lindiwe Sisulu and Jeff Radebe, who all took part in the race. 

“There is a view that singing one individual does not solve the problem when in fact there (others in the race).” 

Duarte’s comment that the matter would take their time at the NGC comes as some ANC MPs sympathetic to Mkhwebane are believed to be pushing for the matter to be heard in the next national executive committee meeting of the party. Also pushing for the matter to be fully investigated by the ANC is the Gauteng RET support group for former president Jacob Zuma. The group, in a statement issued on Thursday, said allegations that some leaders used money to get into office are too “serious” to be ignored.  

Political Bureau