Johannesburg- Free State ANC interim provincial committee (IPC) has written a letter to the ruling party’s acting secretary-general Jessie Duarte requesting an urgent meeting with the organization’s top six officials to explain its decision to “disband” the province’s five regional executive committees (RECs).
This comes after disgruntled Free State ANC members who claim to be representing the party’s RECs petitioned Duarte on Monday to review the IPC’s decision to “disband” them.
Senior party members in the province, who include Mangaung’s newly elected mayor Mxolisi Siyanzona, Lejweleputswa regional chairperson Nkosinjani Speelman, Kopanong local municipality mayor Xolile Mathwa and Tlokotsi Motaung from Thabo Mofutsanyane district municipality have threatened to go the legal route if the officials did not comply with their demand to overturn the decision of the IPC.
In the letter, which we have seen, the members said the dissolution, which they say happened on September 16, was invalid and violated the national executive committee’s (NEC) December resolution that decreed that branches, regions and provinces whose term of office expired beyond May 2021 should not be disbanded during the local government campaign and rather be extended.
“In particular, the communication issued by the secretary-general’s office on September 13, which stated “as previously agreed all BGMs [branch general meetings], regional, and provincial conferences should be put on hold until November 1,” reads the letter.
They said the disbandment of the RECs was not only inimical to unity and renewal of the party but would also have a damaging impact on the party ‘s local government election campaign.
IPC leader Mxolisi Dukwana said they have written a letter to the officials and asked for a meeting to explain their decision. He rubbished as untrue the four members’ claims that the IPC had disbanded the RECs, saying RECs in the province were long disbanded and replaced with regional task teams (RTT) which they reconfigured last week. They have not been disbanded, he said.
Dukwana added that the IPC only replaced old conveners with new ones in all the RTTs.
“We are optimistic that the reconfiguration of the RTTs will help the organization in the coming local government elections. Those who are opposed to these changes are those who are happy with the status quo and we will explain this to the officials,” he said.
ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe had not replied to questions at the time of going to print.
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