Boo brigade tears into out-of-favour Mahumapelo
North West rivals tussle for control
ANC North West chairperson Supra Mahumapelo was booed at a meeting of branch‚ regional and provincial leaders in Rustenburg yesterday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa was in attendance when the crowd jeered and booed Mahumapelo.
The meeting in the ANC’s Bojanala region was called amid a tense political environment in the region.
It comes amid a push by Mahumapelo’s opponents for the national leadership to disband the provincial leadership.
Attempts by Mahumapelo to appeal for calm were met with boos from ANC members who were singing proRamaphosa songs.
Ramaphosa calmed the situation before the media was asked to leave.
ANCYL president Collen Maine played down the seriousness of the national working committee (NWC) visit to the province.
“The NWC is here as a normal visit to provinces. We’ll be going to all the provinces of the ANC ... it’s an interaction of the NWC of the ANC with the structures of the ANC‚” said Maine.
He said the party leadership was in the province to “energise” party structures ahead of the elections campaign.
“There is no reason to worry‚ the ANC is a strong organisation‚ liked by our people. The NWC is here to strengthen the work of the ANC in the province‚” said Maine.
But some ANC provincial executive committee members raised concerns that the latest move was to find ways to disband the provincial leadership under Mahumapelo.
“They [Mahumapelo’s detractors] tried in the national executive committee but they failed because they could not find reasons.
“They tried again at the NWC on Monday‚ that’s why they decided to come here‚” said a member of the provincial executive committee (PEC).
Another PEC member‚ who is a Mahumapelo supporter‚ said even if the provincial leadership was disbanded‚ his faction would regain power the same way it did in 2010.
“Three months is nothing‚ they will not succeed‚” said the PEC member. –