The stalemate between the Eastern Cape ANC bosses and the Nelson Mandela Bay regional executive committee continues after the lower structure maintained it was still valid following a special national executive committee (NEC) meeting at the weekend.
ANC regional secretary Themba Xathula, who was meant to fly out to Luthuli House on Friday, said they were waiting to engage with the NEC’s provincial deployment committee.
“The structure remains and it has not been dissolved,” Xathula said.
Following the NEC meeting at the weekend, ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe said officials would engage the provincial executive committee (PEC) on the organisational challenges in the metro.
An ANC insider, who did not want to be named, said during the NEC meeting it was argued that the regional executive in the metro should not be dissolved and that the PEC had undermined an NEC decision by disbanding structures.
However, the matter was not on the NEC’s agenda.
“Nelson Mandela Bay was not on the agenda of the NEC meeting because there’s a standing NEC decision on the matter.
“The standing decision is if a region has run out of its term in office you convert the structure to be a regional task team and a chair will be a convener and a secretary will, in turn, be a co-ordinator, and Nelson Mandela Bay has not concluded its term,” the insider said.
The NEC resolved to not convene regional conferences but rather focus on the run-up to the 2019 elections.
The insider said ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule and his deputy, Jessie Duarte, were set to come to the Eastern Cape to meet with the PEC to implement NEC decisions.
Two weeks ago, Magashule wrote to all provincial secretaries, saying that PECs should desist from disbanding regional structures.
The letter stated: “The dissolution of regional structures at this time detracts from the uninowty project that the organisation set for itself and could lead to more division.
“Provinces are directed to desist from dissolving regional structures and to reinstate those structures that have been dissolved in recent weeks.”
NEC member Enoch Godongwana said he was not at the meeting at the weekend but he did not believe Magashule’s statement affected the PEC’s decision to dissolve the REC in Nelson Mandela Bay as the provincial bosses had already done so by the time of Magashule’s letter.
“Ace’s letter is generic and doesn’t speak on Nelson Mandela Bay and it stated that from onwards, and going forward, which doesn’t change the status of what’s already happened, which is my reading of the letter,” he said.
ANC provincial chair Oscar Mabuyane said the PEC would forge ahead with dissolving the REC in the metro.
Mabuyane confirmed that the Bay was not on the agenda at the NEC meeting.
“The PEC decision remains and on the sidelines of the NEC the SG indicated that they’ve received an appeal from the REC and they will come down through the national dispute resolution committee to attend to it – effectively there’s an appeal that has been submitted.
“Only the NEC can reverse a decision on a constitutional matter like that. When the SG comes he will listen to the appeal and go back to the NEC and report,” Mabuyane said.
“And if the NEC finds it appropriate to reverse the PEC’s decision, it will do so and we’ll be fine with that.”
On the decision by the PEC that Andile Lungisa step down as a member of the mayoral committee, Lungisa said he had written a letter to the NEC but would not divulge its contents.
Asked if he had received a response yet, Lungisa said he had not.
“There’s nothing I’ve done wrong – even according to the ANC constitution I’ve done nothing wrong.
“I’ve appealed [against] my conviction [of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm] and the fact that the Grahamstown High Court granted my appeal speaks volumes,” Lungisa said.