ANC scheming on Zille - report

Plans to constantly hassle new premier Helen Zille with issues across the province - in a bid to force her to take her eye off the ball - have been hatched by the opposition ANC.

This has emerged from a leaked report, in the possession of the Cape Argus, agreed to by the party at its post-election provincial lekgotla at the weekend.

The plan, according to the report, is to put Zille on the defensive constantly, spreading her widely and thinly across the Western Cape to weaken her. This way, the ANC would attempt to set the agenda on issues in the province.

The ANC lost the control of the province to the DA last month, and met at the weekend to assess its strengths and weaknesses, and to plot a way forward.

And in another leaked report presented at the meeting, former premier Ebrahim Rasool's administration is slammed for "misuse of state resources against the DA", among other things.

Apparently blaming everyone, including the party's national leadership for losing the Western Cape, that report cites issues such as the Erasmus Commission, the Somerset Hospital tender controversy, the Sea Point Pavilion controversy, and contracts in Transport and Public Works for threatening the elections campaign here.

The report, presented by provincial secretary Sipho Kroma, said that by the middle of last year it had become clear that proceeding "without effecting any change", would result in embarrassment to the ANC in the elections campaign.

Kroma said that while the national working committee replaced Rasool last July, it failed to capitalise on that "key moment" by not explaining the reasons for his sacking to voters.

In the report detailing the plan to hobble Zille, the ANC claimed that the DA remained "deeply divided", with strong internal opposition to the new premier.

It planned to target Zille's leadership style, which it described as concentrating all power around herself, and the micro-management of processes. The ANC said this style of leadership opened an opportunity for "us" to force Zille to over-commit herself on issues.

"This will spread her widely and thinly across the province, and weaken her ability to deal with all issues," the report said.

Asked to comment, Kroma confirmed that the ANC planned to become "the voice of the voiceless" in the Western Cape. It planned to raise issues on key areas identified in its election manifesto, making sure these were dealt with.

"We will do everything in our power, using municipalities and the provincial legislature where we are the official opposition," he said.