ANC faction fears witch-hunt
ANC MEMBERS in the Northern Cape who are loyal to the “Premier league” and those who are party to court action against the current provincial leadership, believe that they are the targets of a witch hunt and are being punished and purged.
During a meeting last week the ANC Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) resolved to take “stringent action against comrades that undermine the provincial deployment committee of the ANC”.
The PEC pointed out that members who had launched a court application challenging the outcome of the provincial conference had been appointed in government positions, without its blessing.
It noted that it had already spent R2 million on legal preparations, where it was finding it “increasingly difficult to afford the legal fees” for this case.
Concern was also expressed over the appointments of Nombulelo Modise as an assistant director at the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and Laro Khotseng at the Premier’s Office “without the knowledge of the ANC”.
“This is not the first time that comrades are deployed without getting mandates from the ANC. These comrades do not recognise the current PEC and have instituted legal action for the PEC to be dissolved. It is clear that these deployments are meant to reward the two comrades for their hostility towards the PEC.”
The PEC was aggrieved that the MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba, was unable to provide reasons as to why she appointed Modise without consultation with the ANC.
“She misled provincial officials by informing them that Modise is a mere receptionist. Evidence shows that Nombulelo is appointed as an assistant manager.”
It further pointed out that while instructions were given to end her contract at the end of May, Modise was still in the employment of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
Meanwhile, ANC secretary general Ace Magashule on July 4 informed two ANC members from the Namakwa region – Magdalena Bruintjies-Groenewald and Adel Gunda Rooi – that their suspensions have been uplifted.
The ANC Regional Executive Committee (REC) in the Namakwa region was dissolved in November 2017 after Rooi was elected as the Namakwa district executive mayor, against the wishes of the PEC.
The ANC had ordered that Rooi’s appointment be reversed as it had recommended that Mervin Cloete was the most eligible candidate to replace Bentley Vass, who resigned as mayor when he was sworn in as a Member of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature.
The REC was considered to be “flagrantly disrespectful” for refusing to implement this decision.
The REC had put forward the names of Rooi, Cloete and Bruintjies-Groenewald as possible candidates to fill the vacancy.
At the time, ANC provincial secretary Deshi Ngxanga indicated that Rooi had accepted the nomination without the sanction of the ANC.
Ngxanga said ANC officials in the Northern Cape would meet with national officials today to, among others, discuss the letter from the secretary general.
“The regional task team took disciplinary action against the two comrades (Rooi and BruintjiesGroenewald). Both were suspended for defying a reasonable decision of the ANC and for collaborating with the opposition.”
Ngxanga stated the appeal was never referred to the PEC, in line with the ANC constitution.
“The regional conference of Namakwa will convene in 2019 after the national election where a new REC will be elected.”
He added that Rooi had resigned as mayor “before she could even be removed”.
“The current Namakwa mayor is Mervin Cloete.”
Ngxanga indicated that the ANC in the Province was continuously engaging with the premier and the MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture on first consulting with the party before deploying members.
“We cannot allow deployees of the ANC to use the state to fight internal party battles. As the ANC, we are of the view that no fair and transparent human resource processes were followed to appoint these comrades. Our major gripe here is that the state is being used to fight internal party politics. And this we cannot allow.
“The premier and MEC are expected to consult on strategic government matters with the ANC as the governing party. It goes without saying that the premier and the MEC need to execute the manifesto of the ANC in consultation with the ANC.”
Ngxanga said that they had not yet received notice on whether the court application challenging the outcome of the provincial conference had been placed on the roll.
“However, the National Executive Committee (NEC) is in the processes of engaging comrades who have taken the ANC to court all over the country and will do so in the Province too.
“ANC members are not punished for expressing different preferences in the organisation. Members of the ANC are not expected to revolt against the ANC.”