ANC will investigate ‘war room’ allegations – Mantashe

ANC general manager Ignatius Jacobs could face disciplinary action as the party is investigating possible policy breaches surrounding the so-called War Room allegations that emanated from the ruling party’s covert project in which a whopping expenditure of R50 million was set aside to run a propaganda campaign to discredit opposition parties.

The secret project involved using social media, fake websites and the production of fake posters and T-shirts to portray the opposition in bad light during last year’s local elections.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe on Monday said the ANC would investigate the matter.

The party was criticised for using apartheid-regime propaganda tactics against its opponents.

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Regarding information of recordings between Jacobs and others in the party, Mantashe declined to address that. “If there are recordings and other evidence, we will deal with that in a disciplinary process,” he said.

Last week, public relations practitioner Sihle Bolani sued the party for an overdue amount of
R2 million for work she did. Jacobs allegedly offered to pay R1 million.

The use of propaganda against other parties is a contravention of the electoral code for which the ANC could be fined by the Independent Electoral Commission.

Mantashe said this was an administrative and not a party issue.

Mantashe would not confirm if former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe might be redeployed to parliament and subsequently appointed as minister of finance to replace Pravin Gordhan. He said if the North West ANC felt strongly for him to become an MP it had to follow candidates nomination procedure that involved putting his name on parliamentary lists.

Observers said if Molefe was appointed as finance minister by President Jacob Zuma, it would spell victory for the Zuma faction.

Molefe is also associated with the Guptas through former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s State of Capture report.

Mantashe also criticised Moody’s and other rating agencies for interfering in internal affairs such as Cabinet reshuffles. “They want to tell us who must be the next president. That is mischief.”

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