PHUTI MOSOMANE
Angry residents of Tumahole in Parys, Free State who are also members of the ANC, burned ANC t-shirts on Friday afternoon allegedly in protest over the expulsion of the party’s former Secretary-General Ace Magashule.
Magashule was expelled last week by the ANC following the outcome of a disciplinary hearing where he was found guilty of misconduct for breaking some of the party’s rules.
The angry residents said the outcome and expulsion of Magashule and continued lack of service delivery, prompted their actions.
Tumahole falls under the ANC in the Fezile Dabi Region and the Regional Chairperson Thabo Mabasa said the party is aware of the intentions of the group of people who were burning ANC regalia which is ‘to create confusion among our people’.
“We are confident that loyal and disciplined members of the ANC understand and accept the democratic and constitutional outcomes of the National Disciplinary Committee,” Mabasa said earlier.
However, Mabasa said the ANC is convinced that the majority of those involved are not ANC members, but said the party is aware of a few members of the organisation who took active part in this incident and the necessary internal disciplinary processes will take place immediately.
He called on “all disciplined members of the ANC to remain focused and not be distracted by any agent provocateurs, our task is to ensure that we continue to serve our people” and reminded the protestors that they joined the ANC voluntarily.
ANC insiders in the province told Inside Politics that Magashule has been mobilising support to form a new political party to be launched soon.
Although Magashule was widely expected to join other political parties such as Carl Niehaus’s new movement, the African Radical Economic Transformation Alliance (ARETA), insiders say this is unlikely because the two are reportedly no longer in good terms.
Magashule is said to have wanted to be ARETA president but Niehaus has already occupied that position.
The EFF said it was in talks with Magashule with a view to recruit him to the party, but insiders have confirmed that Magashule is supportive of the EFF broadly but was not keen on joining as a card carrying member.
Magashule has promised to announce his new political plans in a press conference this week.
On Saturday, a picture of Magashule and former President Thabo Mbeki meeting on Friday also went viral on social media fuelling further speculation about Magashule’s future.
A Tumahole protester said the ANC hates black people and threatened that the party would be punished at the 2024 National and Provincial Elections.
While some of the protestors said the decision to burn ANC t-shirts is a sign that they are no longer members and will announce their new political party in the coming days.
In what appears to be a well coordinated protest, the group loudly declared that “change is inevitable.”
INSIDE POLITICS
