ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has confirmed that the party has had discussions about disbanding both the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provincial executive committees (PECs).
However, no decisions have been taken.
“Disbandment did arise in the [national working committee] meeting but there’s no decision. It does arise in terms of solutions and all of that for various reasons. There’s no decision to disband any structure,” said Mbalula.
The Sunday Times last month reported that an axe hangs over the KZN and Gauteng PECs after most of the national working committee (NWC) members favoured disbanding the structures.
According to the publication, the two provinces are set to become the first casualties of the party’s dismal performance in the May 29 elections should the NWC make the recommendation to the national executive committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for the end of this month.
The two provinces were the ANC’s biggest losers, dropping from more than 50% to 36% of the vote in Gauteng. In KZN, the party declined from 54.2% in 2019 to 17%.
Most NWC members are said to have backed a call for the executive committees in the two provinces to be replaced with interim leaders to take them to the 2026 local government elections. Eight of the 10 NWC and NEC members who previously spoke to the Sunday Times were adamant the party would cement the decision at a special meeting this month.
Some said the disbandment of the two provincial structures would not receive much pushback and the big debate was likely to centre on who is appointed to the task teams.
The NWC meeting, however, did not make a firm recommendation after Ramaphosa was said to have delayed the decision.
Mbalula said the NWC decided that a second visit to the two provinces was necessary before any decision could be taken.
He said such decisions could not be taken lightly as they needed to be taken in consultation with the provinces and the regions.
But after postponing two NEC meetings meant to decide on the fate of the two provinces, there is a notion that the ANC is kicking the can down the road.
“There are important developments in these provinces and therefore the NWC has mandated the officials to process these matters and in the next two weeks — by the time we get to the NEC — there will be direction. We would have met with these provinces,” said Mbalula. “Remember the decision about what must happen here is not one-sided, it’s not NWC telling a province, it’s about the NWC engaging with the comrades here in these provinces.”
However, Mbalula said, the ANC was not scared of pulling the trigger on the two provinces as the party has previously disbanded structures.
“But if we make our decision to disband a structure there is no problem, we’ll take that decision. We have taken such decisions in the past,” he said. “We need to show comrades the pitfalls, the difficulties, and we must address those difficulties together and if it involves disbandment it will be our decision collectively.”
Alternatively, the ANC may as well decide against disbanding them altogether and opt for another option which he says could be “rebuild the ANC”.
“We went into the election with a weak organisation … These things we’re doing, political education, renewal programme, membership and all of that are meant to rebuild the ANC,” he said.
Kgothatso Madisa
www.timeslive.co.za
