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Another revolt. ANC’s North West woes continue

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Supra Mahumapelo
Supra Mahumapelo

The ANC’s new North West interim leadership is facing a revolt after its legitimacy was questioned and axed chairperson Supra Mahumapelo withdrew from the task team.

Now concerns have been raised that such divisions may affect preparations for the general elections next year.

Less than a week after its appointment, the provincial task team (PTT) is at loggerheads with ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, refusing to accept an instruction that Mahumapelo’s allies be recognised as the legitimate leaders in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda region around Klerksdorp and in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati region in the Vryburg area.

Instead, City Press learnt, the task team opted to suspend the powers of all the regional executives affected, pending an investigation.

Magashule was further accused of tampering with the original list of PTT members that had been drawn up by the ANC national working committee. He was accused of adding at least three names to the 32-member task team that were never discussed, including Lerato Teme, Elizabeth Mabebe and Ntesang Montewa.

According to those who attended the task team’s introductory session last Wednesday at Luthuli House, a veterans league member, Abraham Moseki, was humiliated by Magashule when he arrived for the session, despite his submission that he had received an invitation to attend from Luthuli House.

We do not recognise the decision that they have taken our powers. They do not have powers to take away the authority of an elected structure when they are an appointed structure - Lopang Rothman

Moseki, who had been included in the “initial list”, was kicked out of the meeting because his name was not on the final list. North West veterans league leader Zakes Tolo was unavailable for comment.

With the province’s leadership disbanded and a PTT appointed, the power struggle in the North West has become about the control of regions and, by extension, the administration of branches.

City Press heard that the PTT was looking at reviewing the interim task team in Rustenburg’s Bojanala region because “it is not inclusive”, while the regional executive in Mafikeng’s Ngaka Modiri Molema area have been asked to report on the state of the organisation, amid concerns during preparations for by-elections that the ANC was deteriorating.

But others in the task team were pushing for the disbandment of Ngaka Modiri Molema.

Mahumapelo’s group in Dr Kenneth Kaunda fought back on Friday. In a letter addressed to PTT coordinator Kenetswe Mosenogi – and copied to Magashule and the national executive committee (NEC) – they said they rejected the PTT’s decision.

In another matter, the former mayor of Schweizer-Reneke in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati region, Aron Motswana, led a pro-Mahumapelo group which filed court papers on Wednesday for an urgent interdict to stop the PTT from working and for Mahumapelo to be reinstated.

Mahumapelo had, however, written to Magashule this week, stating that he was withdrawing from the PTT. He accused its members of embarking on a political purge against opponents.

Lopang Rothman, the regional secretary in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda area, told City Press that in taking away the region’s powers, the PTT was exercising powers that that it did not have “as an appointed structure guided by the specific terms of reference for its creation”.

“We do not recognise the decision that they have taken our powers. They do not have powers to take away the authority of an elected structure when they are an appointed structure,” Rothman said, adding that they expected that Magashule would provide clarity as soon as the NEC concluded its ordinary meeting this weekend at the Saint George Hotel in Irene, Tshwane.

Magashule told the media earlier on Friday that the meeting would receive reports about progress made in bringing stability to the North West, about the creation of an integrity committee to hold errant members to account, and about preparations for the elections in terms of the list process.

“We are also reporting back on the establishment of the PTT in the North West. We have finalised those names and it is for the [meeting] to note the names,” said Magashule, who was also the subject of a small protest outside the meeting venue, where ANC members from his home province in the Free State called for his head.

Kabelo Mataboge, spokesperson for the North West PTT, said the powers of the regional executive in Dr Kenneth Kaunda were suspended, pending an investigation into the status of the structure.

“We are in the process of investigating the status of the regional executives. The common factor is that there are parallel structures. We will come up with a clear determination of what should happen after investigations.”

He said Mahumapelo had not told the task team about his withdrawal. “If he is withdrawing through Luthuli House [ANC headquarters], that is the correct procedure. From our side we know nothing,” said Mataboge.


Setumo Stone
Political journalist
City Press
p:+27 11 713 9001
w:www.citypress.co.za  e: setumo.stone@citypress.co.za
      
 
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