ANC former deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe says the party’s constitution is enough to deal with corrupt members in the organisation.

His comments come as the ANC is set to debate the much talked about step-aside resolution this weekend.

One of the renewal measures of the party is the step aside rule, which is facing a growing revolt as several provinces want it scrapped.

The rule forbids party members who are criminally charged from holding leadership positions.

Provinces such as Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal have called for the rule to be scrapped.

“The constitution of the ANC has a whole section that defines what constitutes offences which triggers disciplinary proceedings against any member. The problem is implementation and as you know discipline is always effective if underpinned by consistency.

“If you apply discipline in a selective manner is undermines the entire proceedings. Yes, the constitution of the NAC is sufficient to ensure malfeasance is dealt with,” Motlanthe said on Saturday.

Motlathe’s statement contradicts what President Cyril Ramaphosa told delegates attending the ANC’s policy conference in Nasrec, in the South of Johannesburg on Friday.

While delivering the opening address, Ramaphosa told delegates there was no turning back from the resolutions taken at the party’s 54th national conference in 2017.

Key of these was the step-aside rule which is facing major pushback.

On Saturday, Mpumalanga provincial chairperson Mandla Ndlovu made a U-turn from remarks coming out from earlier in the week.

Ndlovu said the ANC was “very sober” when it took the decision at the last national elective conference.

“Those who call for the scrapping of step aside, they must know that we will be scrapping ourselves out of government,” Ndlovu said.

ANC Gauteng provincial secretary TK Nciza said the conference had much more important matters to discuss such as growing the economy and should not dwell on the step-aside policy.

However, Nciza said the province would call for the rule to be reviewed.

Motlanthe also called for the ANC’s integrity commission to be strengthen and given powers to ensure its recommendations are implemented.

“The integrity commission is not a disciplinary structure. Theirs is to ensure the integrity of policy and the organisation itself is never compromised and they listen and interview those referred to them and come up with recommendations.

“The weakness in the system is that their recommendations are submitted to office of the secretary’s office. They have no authority to ensure that the NEC actually acts on their recommendations. That’s something that may have to be strengthened giving them original authority because at the moment they are a substructure of national executive committee and I think they need original authority from conference itself so they can act and ensure their recommendations and decisions are given effect to,” he said.

nkosin@sowetan.co.za