ANC heavyweight and ex-deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe has read the riot act to ANC Free State secretary Dihelele Motsoeneng for violating the governing party’s constitution.
Motlanthe flagged and questioned a list of Free State provincial list committee (PLC) appointments that Motsoeneng submitted to Luthuli House for containing unsuitable candidates.
In a scathing letter, the veteran ANC politician, who is the chairperson of the party’s electoral committee, told Motsoeneng the composition of the names on the list violated the party’s rules.
Motlanthe told Motsoeneng that all five PEC and office bearers of the respective ANC affiliates and alliance partners included on the PLC, which runs the list process for the governing party, were ineligible to serve on the PLC.
Those affected were SA Communist Party’s Teboho Kholoanyane, Mayibuye Bangani of the ANC Youth League, the ANC Veteran’s League’s Elias Togoe, Cosatu’s Monyatso Mahlati, and the ANC Women’s League’s Lulama Titi-Odii.
Motlanthe removed the names because they were disqualified from serving on the PLC because they stood to be nominated for public posts.
“Furnish us with names to replace the non-qualifying candidates of the PLC, who shall also not be available for nomination during this candidate selection process,” Motlanthe told Motsoeneng.
He continued: “As part of due diligence, the appointed members of the PLC shall be subjected to our standard vetting procedures, and we may revert to you should the need arise.”
The former deputy president also warned Motsoeneng that the PLC nomination list should also have 50% female representatives, citing Rule 6 of the ANC constitution.
Motsoeneng got a tongue-lashing for sending a list of seven males and four females. Other names included Joyce Mthethwa, Lulama Ceba, Michael Atolo, Bojosi Mile, Sephiri Moshodi and Spirit Monyobo.
Insiders in the Free State ANC provincial executive committee said Motsoeneng was clueless about the party’s constitution and policies.
He failed to understand who should be on the list and who should not, said a source.
“Dihelele doesn’t understand what he is doing there as he is not familiar with the ANC constitution.
“He is always messing up, and those who should advise him just turn a blind eye, so that he can continue to embarrass himself and the ANC,” said a senior PEC leader.
Last month, Motsoeneng was recorded saying at the PEC meeting that all the top officials within the province were “a product of fraud”.
“This leadership and I, we must confess, comrades. We are a product of fraud,” he was heard saying.
He added: “Your integrity here, your leadership here, your credibility as branch leaders here, is under question.”
Motsoeneng and ANC provincial spokesperson Jabu Mbalula failed to respond to our questions at the time of going to print.
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- Kgalema Motlanthe, ANC electoral committee chair, criticized Free State ANC secretary Dihelele Motsoeneng for submitting a provincial list committee (PLC) roster with ineligible candidates according to ANC rules.
- Five members from ANC affiliates and alliance partners, including representatives from the SACP, ANC Youth League, ANC Veterans League, Cosatu, and ANC Women's League, were removed from the PLC list because they were ineligible due to potential nominations for public posts.
- Motlanthe instructed Motsoeneng to replace disqualified PLC candidates with others not available for nomination and emphasized the requirement for the PLC to have 50% female representation, noting Motsoeneng's list failed this with seven males and four females.
- Insiders described Motsoeneng as unfamiliar with the ANC constitution and accused him of repeatedly making mistakes without corrective advice, which they said embarrassed the ANC.
- Motsoeneng was previously recorded admitting that the provincial leadership, including himself, was "a product of fraud," questioning the integrity and credibility of the ANC Free State leadership.
