Durban - After days of speculation and dilly-dallying, the ANC has officially notified its leadership structure in the Mpumalanga province that it has been dissolved with immediate effect.
This is contained in a letter sent by Treasurer-General Paul Mashatile (who is acting secretary-general in the absence of Ace Magashule and Jessie Duarte) on Wednesday.
He notified them that a provincial task team (PTT) will now take over the daily running of the party's affairs and prepare for a conference to elect new leaders.
On Monday this week, Independent Media sources that attended the heated weekly meeting of the national working committee (NWC) of the ANC, saying there were plans to also disband the PEC (provincial executive committee) of the Eastern Cape chaired by Oscar Mabuyane, an ally of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Infighting and failures to convene regional and provincial conferences were cited as the motivating factors for the drastic change. However, some claimed the move was aimed at ensuring that the CR faction maintained its grip on both provinces ahead of the governing party’s general council in July and the elective conference in December.
In the letter to the province, Mashatile said according to rule 17.2 of the ANC’s constitution the provincial conference shall be held at least once every four years and more often if requested by at least one third of all branches in good standing in the province.
Furthermore, Mashatile said rule 17.3.3 provides that the provincial conference shall elect the provincial chairperson, deputy chairperson, provincial secretary, deputy provincial secretary, treasurer and thirty additional members of the provincial executive committee, who will hold office for four years.
JUST IN: The ANC has finally dissolved the provincial executive committee of the party in Mpumalanga. This is contained in a letter sent by Paul Mashatile on Wednesday alerting them that a provincial task team will now take over the daily running of the party's affairs. @IOL
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) March 2, 2022
“The provincial secretary shall be a full-time functionary of the organisation. The current provincial executive committee (PEC) of the ANC Mpumalanga province was elected at a provincial conference held on 13 – 15 December 2015. Accordingly, the term of office of the PEC has expired,” reads the letter.
Mashatile said as a result of this, the NWC has decided to disband provincial leadership. He added that a provincial task team would now take over the running of the province’s affairs.
“The provincial task team will, in terms of rule 12.2.4, fulfil the functions of the PEC and will be responsible, amongst others, for ensuring that a provincial conference is held to elect a provincial executive committee. We wish the members of the provincial task team well in the execution of their important tasks.”
The members of the PTT are not yet known, but it is expected that it will include members of the three main factions vying for provincial and regional power.
Political Bureau