The Gauteng ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) has openly slammed Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina’s behaviour and his expressed support for the collapse of “white monopoly capital”.
This comes after Masina generated controversy this week after his move to “fully agree” with the EFF’s call for South Africans to let “white monopoly capital” collapse by staying at home during the Covid-19 pandemic.
After being rebuked by Luthuli House on Monday over his social media remarks, Masina took to Twitter and dared the governing party to remove him over his views, adding that he was “not a coward”.
Yesterday, provincial secretary Jacob Khawe said the PEC had taken “serious exception to members and leaders of the organisation at all levels who continue to engage in public spats and publicly contradict policies and decisions of the organisation”.
“This ill-disciplined conduct undermines the unity and cohesion of the organisation and it must be nipped in the bud immediately,” Khawe said.
Following a meeting with Masina over his remarks, the ANC in Ekurhuleni also rejected Masina’s views.
ANC regional secretary Thembinkosi Nciza said the structure had advised Masina “to raise and confine views within the policy position of the ANC”.
“In this regard, any perspective or idea that supports the collapse of the economy is not a policy position of the ANC,” Nciza said.
While it was thought that Masina tendered his resignation at the REC (regional executive committee) meeting yesterday, which was allegedly later rejected, Nciza said the party had listened to Masina and the explanation he gave about his remarks.
“The REC noted and appreciated the context of the social media post as explained by the regional chairperson.
The REC, however, expressed a firm view that discussions on economic policies or any other policy content must be articulated in line and consistent with the ANC policy positions, principles and constitutional prescripts,” he said.
He said Masina had also retracted his purported intentions to resign over his rebuked remarks.
“This was at the backdrop of the confidence shown to the leadership displayed by comrade Mzwandile Masina, both as a political head and the executive mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni,” he said.
Khawe commended the regional leadership for how they handled the Masina saga.
“The fact that the REC correctly gave counsel to its chairperson on when and how to raise his views within the confines of ANC structures is welcomed.
"It is clear that the intention of the REC was to resolve the matter amicably, hence its call for the regional chairperson to retract his unfortunate post about his intention to resign,” Khawe said.
He said the provincial leadership believed the matter was now “closed”.
The ANC National Youth Task Team, meanwhile, has thrown its weight behind Masina, arguing that his support for the dismantling of monopoly capital was consistent with the party policy position on radical socio-economic transformation and not support for the EFF.