The African National Congress reported on Tuesday that embattled ANC spokesperson Carl Niehaus was granted leave of absence from the party.

The African National Congress on Friday said it would not abandon Niehaus and while it accepted his resignation, it would redeploy him within the organisation.

However, on Tuesday the party said he would be granted leave of absence from the party to sort out his financial woes.

"The NWC (National Working Committee) considered media reports on the personal financial situation of Carl Niehaus.

"Niehaus has been granted a leave of absence from the ANC to enable him to resolve his personal financial matters," said party spokesperson Jessie Duarte in a statement following a meeting of the party's NWC on Monday.

Further revelations of Niehaus' financial misconduct were revealed in weekend media reports after Mail & Guardian reported on allegations of fraud against him, most of which he admitted to in an interview with the paper.

Niehaus lied

On Tuesday, the Beeld newspaper reported that Niehaus did not get a doctor's degree in theology from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, as he had claimed. This was during his stint as South Africa's ambassador in Den Haag.

According to another news report on Tuesday, Niehaus allegedly got the owner of an East London travel agency to pay upfront for a R100 000 holiday for himself and his family to Mauritius, and then never paid for it.

Duarte said: "The ANC will continue to assist Niehaus to rebuild his life.

"The ANC is committed to good governance and remains determined to stamp out all forms of corruption. Any allegations of criminal conduct should be dealt with in terms of the law and due legal process."

An analyst from the SA Institute of Race Relations told the Business Day on Tuesday that fraud and corruption within the ANC posed a threat to the rule of law in the country.

"That the ANC was aware of the corrupt dealings of the man they appointed as their spokesperson to convey their election manifesto promise to act against corruption is beyond scandalous," the institute's deputy CEO Frans Cronje was quoted as saying.

The NWC meeting also assessed the progress of the party's 2009 election campaign.

ANC meets with IFP

Duarte said the NWC received a report on a meeting between party president Jacob Zuma and Inkatha Freedom Party president Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

"The NWC welcomed the meeting and endorsed the message that came out of the meeting, which urged tolerance and peace throughout the election period and beyond," she said.

The party reiterated its commitment to work with the IFP and other parties to ensure a free and fair election.

This followed some incidents of political intolerance in KwaZulu-Natal in recent weeks.

"The ANC endorses the efforts of the Independent Electoral Commission to actively promote tolerance and free political activity in all parts of the country.

"It calls on the police and security services to act consistently to ensure that breaches of the electoral law are swiftly dealt with," she said.

Duarte said the party was encouraged by the large turnout at the final voter registration weekend and called on all ANC members to vote in the 22 April poll.

Sapa