Premier Sylvia Lucas angers ANC
Premier must stop deepening divisions – party
ANC branches in the Northern Cape may push for the possible recall or for disciplinary action to be taken against premier Sylvia Lucas after she reshuffled her cabinet on the eve of the party’s elective conference without consulting the party.
Yesterday, the ANC’s national office also took a hardline stance against Lucas, describing the move as a “flagrant abuse of office”.
The run-up to the Northern Cape conference, among the ANC’s smallest voting blocks in its national conference at the end of the year, signals a fraught internal elective season for the party, which chooses a successor to president Jacob Zuma in December.
Lucas’s reshuffle was described by insiders as an attempt by the premier to “intimidate” her opponents.
Lucas, a Zuma ally, is set to contest for the position of provincial chairperson against provincial secretary Zamani Saul – seen as a supporter of deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa.
According to leaders in the province, who wished to remain anonymous, branches were set to call for a special resolution to deal with Lucas. This could mean calling for the new provincial executive committee – which has yet to be elected – to take disciplinary action against Lucas or recall her.
ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said Lucas’s “unbridled arrogance” was a “betrayal of trust with the ANC”.
“We view this as a flagrant abuse of her office to further divide the ANC and undermine the unity of the organisation ...
‘‘ We view this [cabinet reshuffle] as a flagrant abuse of her office
our deployees must desist from misusing their deployment to deepen divisions within the ANC,” Kodwa said.
Lucas could not be reached for comment.
Axed MEC for finance Mack Jack yesterday described his dismissal as an act of intimidation by Lucas.
Lucas did not provide reasons for her reshuffle, but announced in a statement she had “applied her mind” to the matter and she consulted “individual MECs”.
Jack said he was fired because he supports Saul to take over the party leadership in the province. “I am sure you can see the people here are ready to deliver Saul as the next chairperson. I derive solace in the fact that branches will pronounce on that.”
He said Lucas and her allies in government had used their state positions to “intimidate” those who did not support her.
The conference got off to a late start yesterday .