“DA IS ELECTIONEERING AS THEY ARE SAYING SAME THINGS – MATJILA

“The DA is electioneering as they keep on saying the same things and changing here and there and though the media attends their media conferences and respects them, the DA keeps on saying the same things,” said Greater Tshwane ANC Secretary George Matjila at a media briefing called by his organisation in response to allegations made earlier in the day (Tuesday) against the ANC in general and its Regional leader Eugene Modise and Matjila himself in particular.

“There is no issue in what the DA is saying and since the matters they have raised are with the investigating authorities, our thinking is that the said matters are being attended to by the relevant authorities like the Madlanga Commission and the SAPS,” he said.

“We respect all the platforms that the DA has taken these matters to, and we are not interfering at all,” he said as he in the process added that the DA will always call the media as if they will say anything new.

“We are not here to defend, condone or condemn anyone and when allegations are thrown at any of us as members of the ANC we take our structures into confidence in this regard but if the matter is taken to another platform then we will respect the outcomes of that platform,” said Matjila.

“From now on we are going to tail the DA and if they call a media briefing at 9pm we will call ours at 10 pm the same evening, and if they call a media briefing at 3am then we as the ANC will call ours at 4am the very same morning,” said Matjila determinedly.

“We don’t have any relationship with the Chief Financial Officer of the City of Tshwane and this allegation that we have a relationship with him or the City Manager is just DA madness,” fumed Matjila.

He said the ANC can’t just suspend its members just because they have been implicated in wrong-doing at the Madlanga Commission, and as they have received responses from Modise and James Shelenge about allegations made against them, their responses will be escalated to the ANC mother body.

Asked whether the ANC was not worried about allegations made against Modise and his Triotic security company at the Madlanga Commission, and whether the ANC would consider placing Modise under special leave pending conclusion of investigations against him, Tshwane ANC Caucus Spokesperson Joel Masilela said the following:

“Of course we are concerned as the ANC about allegations made against Modise but as the ANC we would like to remind you that the case of suspended ActionSA MMC Kholofelo Morodi is different to that of Modise because we believe that Modise resigned from his businesses once he was elected Councillor as per the Code of Conduct of Councillors.”

Masilela said the ANC called the media conference “in order to make sure that the ANC is insulated against allegations that are thrown at it by (information) peddlers but the ANC is supportive of any probe that is instituted against its leaders, be it at the Madlanga Commission or via internal Municipal Council processes like the recently-conducted forensic investigation against Modise, and revealed that there would also be an ad hoc committee that would look into the issues surrounding Modise, and that the DA knows that it is only then that the ANC will be able to make a decision regarding Modise.”

He said ANC Councillors don’t interfere in tenders because that is the duty of the supply chain management officials and that its Councillors only play an oversight role regarding the awarding of tenders.

“Maybe the DA used to interfere in the awarding of tenders when they were in power but as for us as the ANC we don’t interfere in such matters,” said Masilela.