ANC blames North West protests on group seeking ‘regime change’

The ANC leadership in various North West regions blamed disgruntled party members and alliance partners for the violent protests that have left a trail of destruction since last week, with protesters calling for Premier Supra Mahumapelo to step down amid allegations of corruption and slow service delivery.

According to the regional leaders, a group called the revolutionary council, the same group that previously called itself the North West Business Forum or self-liberators or the Phakama Brigade, are behind the violent protests in the province.

The leadership said the revolutionary council had supported state and ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa during his campaign, leading to the ruling party’s elective conference last December.

The council, the leaders said, was composed of former and current MECs, MPs, MPLs, some provincial executive committee members, members of the former provincial task team who formed the ANC’s provincial leadership in 2009 until early 2011, some members of the regional executive committee and the regional task team, pockets of the ANCYL, most of whom have gone over the age of 35, members of the veterans league, the SACP, Cosatu, a certain clique of Sanco members, some current and former HODs, municipal managers and members of the business fraternity.

The regional leadership described the revolutionary council as a coalition of “the wounded” who resorted to fighting if nothing “goes their way”.

It said this group had an agenda to enforce regime change so as to clear the path for members of the group, the revolutionary council, to ascend to power.

The regional leadership said the revolutionary council had hijacked legitimate community protests to further its own agenda.

The council’s programme of action entails closing strategic roads, destabilising provincial governments, departments and municipalities to create an impression that Mahumapelo is an incapable premier, the regional leaders said.

They further claimed the pursuit of regime change was a national programme that was targeting certain provinces – North West, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal – and senior ANC leaders who are pro-radical economic transformation, who they said threatened white monopoly capital.

ALSO READ: Violent North West protests spread to different parts of the province

At the press briefing, the regional leaders said the premier, as the ANC provincial chairperson, had tabled a report to the party’s PEC on all corruption cases, including those in which he was accused.

They added Mahumapelo further briefed the PEC on a progress report on 29 forensic investigations reports and that all that augured well for the party’s regions, which were happy with the reports the premier tabled, and therefore supported his commitment and endeavours to fight crime and corruption in North West.

The regions said they did not support the call for Mahumapelo to step down as the premier because he had performed well, adding that Cosatu, SACP and opposition parties were being malicious and misinformed when levelling allegations of corruption against the premier and calling for his resignation.

The regional leadership said the premier’s recall must be performance-based and supported by facts.

They said the protests had been triggered by the premier’s pledge to take on corruption.

The leaders said if the allegations levelled against Mahumapelo were proven to be true, then they would be the first to table a motion of confidence against the premier.

The regions said they also did not agree with the call that the North West PEC should be disbanded, as that was part of the regime change efforts by the revolutionary council.

They called for the immediate suspension of the members of the revolutionary council.

They said during a formal meeting, the ANC’s alliance partners in the province had difficulty in stating tangible reasons as to why the premier should vacate his position.

However, the regional leadership said the relations between the party and its alliance partners in the province were being mended and that Mahumapelo had pledged that the PEC would work towards the same goal.

In a joint statement, the regional leadership said it respected communities’ right to peaceful protest, acknowledging that community members had legitimate concerns, but condemned the violence that characterised the protests in the province.

The leadership committed to fighting corruption and state capture, urging individuals with evidence of the corruption allegations levelled against Mahumapelo, and others, to hand it over to law enforcement agencies so the allegations may be investigated.

They said it had been unfortunate and heartbreaking that lives were lost during the protests.

For more news your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.