Masualle in dark over offer to take up ex-officio ANC post

THE co-opting of Eastern Cape premier and former ANC provincial chairman, Phumulo Masualle into the new provincial leadership came as a surprise to him as he was not told about it before a public statement was issued.

The ANC leadership, under Oscar Mabuyane, sent out a statement stating that they had invited Masualle to be an “ex-officio” member of the PEC and the provincial working committee (PWC). Contacted for his reaction this week, Masualle was reluctant to comment, saying he had not been informed of the invite.

“Look, I haven’t seen that and even if I had seen anything I wouldn’t comment on it.

“If there was anything like that surely I would have been notified, so to me it’s something I know nothing about,” Masualle said.

The press statement, which followed the first meeting of the PWC, also mentioned that Bhisho Legislature speaker Noxolo Kiviet had also been invited to join the structures.

Speaking to the Daily Dispatch yesterday, ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukaitobi would not say as to when Masualle was officially informed of the decision.

He said: “The letter informing him that he has been appointed to sit in the PWC as an ex-officio member is with him and we are very serious about such a decision and our expectations of members of the ANC would be that they would work towards the same goals including seeking mechanisms of uniting the ANC.

“The material issue is that an invite has been sent to him.

“That’s all we can say,” Ngcukaitobi said.

Kiviet could not be reached for comment at the time of writing as she was attending the inauguration of the new Lower Saxony parliament in Germany.

Meanwhile, Ngcukaitobi said the party welcomed the move by Luthuli House to have the annual ANC January 8 Statement hosted by the Eastern Cape.

Whoever will be elected as President Jacob Zuma’s successor at the party’s national elective conference will deliver the speech, which sets the tone for ANC programmes for the year, in Buffalo City Metro.

“The PWC also welcomed the ANC national executive committee decision to hold the ANC 106th January 8 Anniversary Celebrations in the Eastern Cape,” he said.