The ANC has said it will allow the disbanded North West provincial executive committee under former premier Supra Mahumapelo to return to office despite being opposed to the South Gauteng High Court ruling that declared its decision to disband the structure illegal.
ANC acting national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said the ANC had already filed papers to oppose the ruling.
Kodwa said the party would still allow the PEC’s reinstatement as it wanted to ensure unity to the party in the troubled platinum province, which has been engulfed in factional battles that saw its list conference being repeatedly postponed last year until earlier this year.
“We have filed papers last week already to oppose the ruling. But our intention as the ANC is to ensure that there is unity in North West, so whatever we do now must be in order to ensure that there is unity,” Kodwa said.
Last week, the high court ruled that the disbandment of the PEC by the ANC national executive committee last year was unlawful and set it aside, as its branches had not been consulted and no tangible reasons were provided for disbanding it.
The court interdicted the provincial task team (PTT) under Premier Job Mokgoro, which was set up after the disbandment, from performing its role, and ordered the PEC to be reinstated by Friday.
The ruling has posed a threat to the ANC’s stability in the province before the upcoming general elections, which are scheduled for May8.
Yesterday, the ANC national leadership held a special meeting with Mahumapelo and his PEC at the party’s headquarters in Joburg, where they thrashed out modalities of bringing stability to the party in the province.
The reinstated PEC’s mandate is, however, almost over, as its term of office comes to an end next week, when the ANC NEC will have to decide whether to extend its term or appoint a PTT. Kodwa said that despite the ANC’s decision to allow the PEC to return to office, it would have to work with the interdicted PTT.
“We want them to work together to ensure that the party is united. That is our main priority. We do not want to be going against the order of the high court, but we want to ensure that the ANC is united.
“We had a meeting with the PEC to discuss the way forward and the implications of the ruling,” Kodwa said.
Kodwa said the party had not yet decided on whether it would extend the PEC’s term after next week or whether it would appoint another PTT to replace it.
Mahumapelo could not be reached by the time of publication.