‘ANC members who backed Morocco to face music’

Magashule reads party reps riot act

ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule has come out guns blazing against mayors who disobeyed his instruction to reject Morocco’s candidacy for chair of the Congress of the United Cities and Local Government (UCLG).

The congress was held in

Durban last week.

According to Magashule‚ ANC members who attended the meeting ignored his order – and they should now be disciplined. In a strongly-worded statement‚ Magashule accuses “individual members” of the ANC who took part in the UCLG congress of “insubordination”.

Not only did they snub him‚ Magashule continued‚ but supporting Morocco was a betrayal of ANC conference resolutions. He said the ANC has long resolved to shun Morocco “for its illegal occupation of Western Sahara”.

Magashule said opinions of individuals on the issue of Morocco within the ANC would not be tolerated when there was an official party line resolved upon by the national conference – the highest decision-making body in the party.

“The conduct of some ANC representatives at the sixth Congress of UCLG and World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders that was held in Durban...

may not be ignored and must be the subject of serious reprimand and disciplinary sanction‚” fumed Magashule.

“The long-standing principled position of the ANC with regards to Morocco and its illegal occupation of the Western Sahara‚ and the brutal repression of the Saharawi people‚ as well as the ANC’s support for the Polisario Front‚ is well established.

“In an act of flagrant indiscipline and insubordination‚ some members of the ANC at the said UCLG conference‚ supported the candidature of Morocco to be elected as chair of the UCLG.” He distanced the ANC from the “ill-disciplined actions” of some its members at the conference.