"We've done our processes very thoroughly. What's left is for other agencies of the law to do their parts."

These were African National Congress (ANC) treasurer general Paul Mashatile's views on those who made it onto the party's national and provincial lists, even though they were embroiled in corruption allegations.

He made the comments on Sunday on the sidelines of a day-long campaign programme he was leading in Welkom and responded to journalist's questions about the lists submitted to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) last week.

The candidate lists represent people the party wants to deploy to the National Assembly and provincial legislatures.

Controversial leaders such as Nomvula Mokonyane, Bathabile Dlamini, Malusi Gigaba and Mosebenzi Zwane all featured on the national list.

The ANC has been heavily criticised for failing to remove them.

Mokonyane is alleged to have received bribes from Bosasa, the Zondo commission of inquiry into State capture heard.

Last year, the court dismissed Gigaba's application for leave to appeal a ruling that he had lied under oath and violated the Constitution. The judgment stemmed from a court battle which Fireblade Aviation, owned by the wealthy Oppenheimer family, lodged in November 2016 against the Department of Home Affairs and others.

In September, the Constitutional Court ruled in a unanimous decision that Dlamini withheld information from the court regarding the Sassa debacle, and that the National Prosecuting Authority should determine whether she should be prosecuted for perjury.

Meanwhile, Zwane, during his term as mineral resources minister, allegedly threatened Standard Bank South Africa's operating licence. This was revealed during the State capture commission.

"Being on the list for Parliament doesn't mean you will escape the law if genuinely you've contravened the law," said Mashatile.

He reiterated comments ANC secretary general Ace Magashule made last week that it would be unfair to remove the names because none of them have been charged.

"If there are allegations against our members and the law needs to take its course, it will do so, remember, beyond submitting the list. The IEC is also going to probe people on the list," Mashatile said.

Working to win Gauteng

The former ANC Gauteng chairperson said the political party was working hard to retain control of South Africa's economic hub.

The ANC's been on a steady decline in Gauteng, even losing control of the province's metros in the 2016 local government elections.

"As officials, we are there every Thursday and now on Mondays, we are very positive that we will win Gauteng," Mashatile added.

Not in churches to campaign

Mashatile, who attended two church services, conducted door-to-door stops and held a community meeting in Welkom all on Sunday, said he was not paying visits to churches to campaign.

He reminded churchgoers that the ANC was started in the church, saying that the 107-year-old movement had a long history with places of worship.

Mashatile donated money to one church and promised another, the Victory Fellowship church, a site to build a church and computers. He was joined by the ANC Free State provincial chairperson Sam Mashinini.

At the same time, the Free State MEC for sports and recreation, Mathabo Leeto, promised to take the church choir to a recording studio so the "world can hear their beautiful voices" while the ANC's young women's desk donated doeks (headscarf) and sanitary towels.

Mashatile, who earlier told the Welkom Methodist church he was visiting in order to receive blessings, was prayed for at the two churches he attended, while sharing messages of what the ANC had done and still hoped to do for the country.

Bishop Isaac Ngwenya from the Victory Fellowship, who was one of the religious leaders who prayed for the ANC leaders said his was a prayer for the ANC to emerge victorious after the May 8 polls.

“God must give you strength. God choose your political party to lead, he will do it again. People will believe you because of God” said Ngwenya.

The priest also called on the ANC to do something about charismatic churches, which claim to bring people from the dead and use doom and snakes in their sermons.