‘ANC must deal with culprits’

ANC alliance partners in the Ngaka Modiri Molema region in North West yesterday called on the ANC to discipline regional leaders who rejected the national executive committee (NEC) decision to dissolved the North West provincial executive committee (PEC).

Speaking to the media in Mahikeng, SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) regional chairperson Khumalo Molefe, said: “We reject and distance ourselves from this unilateral move by the dissolved PEC masquerading as the four RECs [regional executive committees] to take the ANC to court. We call on the ANC to discipline these culprits.”

The briefing was called by Sanco, the SA Communist Party, the ANC Youth League, and the Congress of SA Trade Unions.

“These are the very same RECs who failed to provide leadership and oversight over the municipalities, hence the current state of paralysis,” Molefe said. “Yet they have the courage and nerve to reject the decision of the ANC’s highest decisionmaking organ.”

The NEC dissolved the North West PEC on August 31 and appointed Premier Job Mokgoro as convener of the provincial task team. The task team members have yet to be named.

On September 4, the four regions – Ngaka Modiri Molema, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, and Bojanala – called on the ANC to allow the PEC to finish its term of office.

“We call on the NEC to respect the constitution by allowing the current PEC to complete the remaining six months of their constitutional term of office and ensure that the change of leadership in the province remains the democratic preserve of branches through a conference and not through some factional strongmen flexing their muscles in the NWC [national working committee] or NEC,” the regions said in a joint statement at the time.

Despite the regions stating they respect the authority of the NWC and the NEC, and that they would respect the decisions, they have sent a lawyer’s letter to the ANC threatening court action.

In the letter to ANC secretary-general Ace Magushule, the regions said the decision to disband the PEC was “unlawful and failed to comply with the ANC constitution”.

“In this regard, the decision is underpinned by several material irregularities,” the letter from Mabuza Attorneys said.

“The first of these is that the NEC did not consult with the very branches that elected the PEC, all of whom are branches in good standing.

“Further, our clients instruct us that the branches are dissatisfied that the relevant elected RECs were not properly consulted in the decision to disband the provincial executive committee.”

Molefe said they were not surprised by the news that some North West leaders were central to the alleged plot to oust President Cyril Ramaposa.