NEC to decide fate of Agang MPs

A screenshot of AgangSA Twitter account.

A screenshot of AgangSA Twitter account.

Published Jul 11, 2014

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Johannesburg - The fate of two Agang SA MPs would be decided on Friday, the party's national executive committee said.

“A decision on the possible suspension or expulsion of Agang SA's two parliamentary representatives, as well as of the other members of the 'takeover faction', is likely to be taken at a meeting of the party's reconstituted NEC this afternoon,” spokesman Jock McConnachie said in a statement.

Disciplinary notices had been issued to MPs Mike Tshisonga and Andries Tlouamma and others, setting out the grounds for disciplinary action, he said.

The party had received additional complaints against Tshisonga and Tlouamma from a “reliable parliamentary source” that the two were neglecting their parliamentary duties.

“The problem seems to be the fact that the members of Agang are seldom available to attend committee meetings or other meetings.

“This hampers the work of all smaller parties, as decisions cannot be taken if members are absent.”

He said the two were reported to be absent from committees, and there was no way they would be able to do speeches on the budget due to be debated next week.

Tlouamma dismissed the party's NEC, saying its decision would not stick.

“Who is this NEC? Is this the NEC of the president [Mamphela Ramphele] who ran away? They can put forward whatever they want to. They tried that before,” he said on Friday.

He said as the party's deputy president, he was the president following Ramphele's departure from politics on Tuesday.

“I am president at least until the elective congress. Those people do not know protocol.”

He denied neglecting his parliamentary duties and said he attended meetings in the labour portfolio committee regularly.

“Let them take their decision. The court of law is available. We will go to court and get an interdict against their illegal decisions.”

Agang SA has been marred by internal divisions as a faction tried to wrestle the leadership of the party from Ramphele.

One faction held a national executive committee meeting in Alexandra at the end of June at which it was decided that Ramphele was not fit for the position.

The group adopted a motion of no-confidence in her leadership and questioned her leadership style.

She was subsequently suspended but a group supporting Ramphele retaliated by expelling those who had attended the meeting.

Ramphele launched Agang SA last year.

On Tuesday, she announced that she had decided to leave party politics to focus on working within civil society.

Sapa

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