ANC secretary general Ace Magashule’s home region, Fezile Dabi District, has threatened to interdict the party’s National Executive Committee if he steps aside at the end of the month.
The ruling party’s NEC resolved in August that any ANC official charged with corruption must step aside promptly from any leadership position they may hold.
Magashule is refusing to step down, despite facing 21 charges of corruption, money laundering and fraud, stemming from his time as Free State Premier.
He is among the ANC leaders who are facing suspension from the party should they fail to step aside by the end of this month.
They will be suspended from the ANC should they fail to voluntarily do so.
The Fezile Dabi Regional Task team said at the weekend that it has consulted branches on the political tussles in the ANC and Magashule’s future.
The majority of the branches in the region said the ANC must be served with an interdict to prevent Magashule from stepping aside as he faces fraud, corruption and money laundering charges.
“Branches of the ANC give the RTT a mandate, the leadership must ensure that such a mandate is implemented. We are going to interdict that thing,” said the region’s Deputy Regional Coordinator, Reagan Booysens, told the SABC on Sunday.
“We just waiting for the due date and we are going to interdict that decision because we know the decisions we took at Nasrec and braches are talking about interdicting because of the decisions they took.”
The ANC in Ekurhuleni on Saturday said that the party’s NEC must rethink the step-aside resolution.
Ekurhuleni Regional Secretary, TK Nciza, said councillor candidates could suddenly have criminal cases opened against them, for the individuals to be disqualified.
“We happen to lead at local government levels, we know what happens at branch level, there’ll be accusations against counter-accusations,” said Nciza.
“We will be running into police stations every day. That is going to mess up the movement, it is nice when you speak about Ace, he must step aside, he must stay. But let it happen to you, you will understand. At least if you want to talk to these things you must be able to say step aside up until what happens.”
ANC Gauteng Provincial Executive Committee Member, Vuyo Mhlakazi, said the party’s NEC is failing to provide leadership and is constantly at loggerheads.
“When the 30 days come to an end next week, we must continue to work and not all of us removed. But we must not mourn or dwell in the NEC’s failures. We are trying to unite the ANC but our national leaders are dividing us,” added Mhlakazi.
Meanwhile, the ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) in the Free State withdrew its request to the Constitutional Court to set aside the Supreme Court of Appeal ruling that declared its election in 2018 unlawful and unconstitutional.
The Free State PEC in the province previously came out strong and also reaffirmed its support for Magashule, despite the backlash.
The ANC Provincial Secretary, Paseka Nompomdo, in a statement recently said the PEC is supporting Magashule in what he terms as difficult times based on the presumption of innocent until proven otherwise.
Nompondo further urged the NEC to assist in uniting the party through its action and to also ensure that the ANC speaks with one voice.
- Staff Reporter
