DURBAN – THE DA’s Geordin Hill-Lewis has written to the ANC, asking to attend the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings.
Hill-Lewis said he has written to the ANC’s acting secretary-general Jessie Duarte, asking if he can attend their meetings in his personal capacity.
He said if senior state officials like National Treasury, DG Dondo Mogajane, could attend, he assumed the NEC meetings were then open to others wanting to attend in their private capacities.
“In that regard, I would be delighted to attend the next NEC meeting in my private capacity, to make some remarks on the topic of economic policy,” he said.
He said Mogajane’s attendance at an ANC NEC meeting was confirmed earlier his year by Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni.
“I note the minister’s claim that the DG attended in his private capacity. The minister has resorted to this formulation because, I believe, he knows that it is not appropriate for senior civil servants, who are subject to the Public Service Act, to attend the NEC meeting of the ANC.
“I do not for one minute believe that the DG attended as a private citizen. He would not be invited or allowed to attend did he not hold the position in government that he does,” Hill-Lewis said.
He said he will be submitting a separate application under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, to obtain minutes, notes or recordings of anything Mogajane said at the meeting as he is a public official, this is a matter of public interest.
“I look forward to hearing back from the ANC about this. Since I too would be attending in my private capacity, I presume they will have no objection to me attending the next meeting,” he said.
ANC national spokesperson, Pule Mabe, could not be reached for comment.
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