Eastern Cape’s political storm is gathering pace, with Premier and ANC provincial chairperson Oscar Mabuyane warning against “counter-revolutionary tendencies” as the party’s reinstated Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) faces a fresh court battle.
Mabuyane’s warning comes amid renewed uncertainty over the ANC’s provincial leadership. The reinstated PEC is facing another legal challenge, while the party awaits a Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) decision next week on the legal dispute surrounding its Provincial Task Team (PTT).
Following Wednesday morning’s announcement of the PEC’s reinstatement, a group challenging Mabuyane’s leadership collective has threatened to launch another court challenge, demanding that the reinstatement be withdrawn within seven days.
Mabuyane, however, warned that no court could amend the ANC Constitution or determine the party’s leadership structures.
“We are dealing with counter-revolution here, and all ANC members must be ready to look at this as counter-revolutionary. Genuine members of the ANC will remain in the organisation and ensure growth of the organisation moving forward,” said Mabuyane.
He said the reinstatement of the PEC presented the party with another opportunity to lead the people of the Eastern Cape and prepare for the upcoming local government elections in November.
“I want to be optimistic that this is another opportunity that is given to us to lead the people of the Eastern Cape. We are preparing ourselves to hit the ground running because I think the vacuum has been felt quite hugely. We have been grappling in terms of navigating the challenges we have been having and I want everybody to embrace the intervention that is meant to help the ANC to move forward to try to strengthen our programme for the elections.
“We have got elections coming, let’s focus on elections. We are all volunteers of the ANC. We want to see people on the ground. People must be volunteers because they are leaders,” he said.
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula announced the reinstatement of the PEC on Wednesday after petitioning the SCA to overturn a judgment handed down by the High Court in Makhanda, which nullified the party’s Provincial Task Team.
However, the reinstatement has already triggered fresh opposition.
In a letter to Mbalula, Eastern Cape ANC member Luntu Sokutu argued that the PEC’s term of office expired on 8 May this year and that reinstating it without first holding a Provincial Elective Conference was unlawful and violated the ANC Constitution.
Sokutu said no individual or structure had the authority to extend the term of an expired structure.
“The reinstatement or recognition of a PEC, whose term of office has lapsed, is in violation of the ANC Constitution in particular and the intention of the letter is to ensure that the ANC does not violate its own Constitution. You serve powers that are not granted by the Constitution itself. The only way you can extend the term of office of any structure is to amend the Constitution and that can only be done at a national conference,” he said.
