ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe says the party's decision to suspend Magashule was correct.

"When the SG brought an application to the court to set aside the decision to request him to step aside from his position as Secretary-General, while he is still indicted to appear before a court of law, consistent with the decision of our 54th National Conference, we will have put our own responding affidavit to that, asserting that this decision is consistent with the decision of the conference and in accordance with policies of the ANC coming out of the NGC prior to the 2017 conference, which resolved that we need to work towards restoring the integrity and the credibility of the ANC," Mabe said.

"Amongst the things that we were charged to do was to establish an integrity commission with teeth, make sure that those of our cadres that are indicted to appear before a court of law are requested to step aside, and that the national executive committee would then have to develop a framework spelling out conditionalities attached to those of our cadres who are asked to step aside.

"We have worked extensively, as this NEC, to make sure that we implement that decision of the conference and that in implementing such a decision we do not infringe on the rights of members," he said.

eNCA