Ace’s ‘Free State power trip’ threatens provincial conference

ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule is using his new position to try to hold on to the levers of power in his former Free State province – just as Supra Mahumapelo is clinging to the North West – in a desperate attempt by the last of what used to be the Jacob Zuma faction to flex their political muscle.

But Magashule could be stopped in his tracks as dissatisfied ANC members plan to challenge this weekend’s Free State provincial conference, which was approved by him.

The irate branch members and activists accused Magashule of acting like his ally Mahumapelo by attempting to stay in power by putting his stooges in key positions in the ANC and the government.

They claimed although he was at the ANC head office in Johannesburg, Magashule still wanted to keep his influence in the province.

Similarly, Mahumapelo had been resisting relinquishing power despite an instruction from the ANC top brass to step down. North West has been hit by widespread community protests for service delivery and strikes by the province’s health workers.

Like Magashule, Mahumapelo also appointed loyalist Wendy Nelson as premier and intended to have staunch supporter OJ Tselapedi succeed him.

Magashule recently gave the go-ahead for Free State and KwaZulu-Natal to hold their provincial conferences to elect new provincial executive committees because they met the minimum requirements.

Last December, both high courts in Bloemfontein and Pietermaritzburg separately nullified and declared the PEC elections and the election of the ANC provincial executive committees in those provinces unlawful. Procedures were not followed and the party constitution was violated, while certain branches were excluded from participating in the conferences.

A group comprising branch members and activists vowed to challenge the decision of the provincial task team (PTT) to hold an elective provincial conference because many branches were not in good standing. It plans to approach the court for an urgent interdict to stop the Free State conference, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday and Sunday.

The same members had been calling for Luthuli House to disband the PTT, which is headed by Paseka Nompondo as convener and William Bulwane as coordinator. Both are Magashule’s allies.

The members said Magashule still micromanaged Free State politics from Johannesburg.

Following the court rulings, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal PECs and some regions in the North West province were barred from participating in the December ANC national conference.

Prior to being elected party secretary-general at Nasrec, Magashule, along with Mahumapelo and the KwaZulu-Natal leadership, campaigned for Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to replace Jacob Zuma as ANC president and, subsequently, the country’s president.

Magashule and Mahumapelo were part of the so-called Premier League that also featured Mpumalanga’s David Mabuza, who has since moved to the Ramaphosa camp.

Two senior ANC members in the Free State yesterday confirmed they would be challenging the holding of the provincial conference.

“Yes, we are going to court,” said Monnapule Ntamo, a former campaign member and spokesperson for Thabo Manyoni, a critic of Magashule’s.

Ike Moroe, a known opponent of the PTT, said they would oppose the conference internally in the ANC, in court and through mass action by unhappy members.

“We say we cannot have a conference when ANC structures are not functional in this province. Not a single branch had gone to the [branch general meeting]. There are serious disputes of which Siyabonga Cwele, who is our deployees coordinator, is aware,” Moroe said.

– ericn@citizen.co.za

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