ANC says DA provided no proof that cadre deployment policy facilitated state capture

JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) has sought to poke holes in an argument advanced by the Democratic Alliance (DA) alleging that its cadre deployment policy facilitates state capture and has led to the country's downward spiral.

The party submitted that its partner in the Government of National Unity (GNU) had presented no evidence before the court suggesting the cadre deployment policy of the ANC was responsible for the erosion of service delivery among other issues.

The DA presented arguments before the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday in an application for leave to appeal.

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The court in 2024 dismissed the party’s application to have the policy declared unconstitutional and invalid.

Legal counsel for the ANC, Advocate Les Morison, argued that the DA’s attack on the cadre deployment policy must be supported by evidence to illustrate the ways in which the practice was offensive to the Constitution.

Morison submitted that the DA, a separate organisation's argument cannot be sustained as the party also has no understanding of how the policy is implemented and presents no evidence to argue otherwise.

Not only that, but the ANC argued that there was no evidence presented of an instance where the cadre deployment policy had resulted in the deterioration of service delivery and the aiding of state capture.

The DA has argued that the cadre deployment policy results in office bearers facing sanctions if they do not abide by the instructions of the ANC, but Morison said that no evidence of this, too, had been presented before the court.

Thus, it is argued, that the court cannot apply its mind in such a vacuum and thus no compelling reasons have been provided by the party for the court to grant leave to appeal.