Magashule calls ANC members who take the party to court ‘counter-revolutionaries’

ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule has called party members who took the organisation to court counter-revolutionaries.

Magashule was addressing delegates on Thursday at the official opening of the ANC KZN eighth provincial elective conference in Durban.

“Is it because you are funded by counter-revolutionaries? Who is giving you money? Who pays your senior counsel? Should we conclude it is those people who want to derail the organisation? The enemy of the revolution is amongst you,” the secretary general was quoted as saying.

He said the “counter-revolutionaries” took the party to court whenever the organisation’s collective decisions did not favour their individual interests.

ANC members from Mpendle in the Moses Mabhida region launched a last-minute court bid on Thursday to interdict the KZN conference. The bid, however, was dismissed with costs.

Last month, the KZN conference was halted by a court interdict brought by disgruntled members from three regions in the province.

The current conference is a rerun of its eighth provincial conference, originally held in 2015, which was declared invalid by the Pietermaritzburg High Court last year.

The secretary-general called on party members to always adhere to pronouncements made by the ANC’s top structures, to respect conference resolutions, and for majority views within the organisation to prevail over those of individuals.

Magashule further urged delegates to restore the party’s dignity, and to use the conference as an opportunity to “self-introspect and self-correct”.

“We need to understand where there’s a revolution, there’s always a counter-revolution,” he was quoted as saying.

The secretary general reportedly said some ANC members were ill-disciplined and failed to follow the party’s instructions.

“The ANC is the centre of power, not you. It doesn’t matter if you’re a premier or councillor. We must work as a collective and share our wisdom. Those who lose positions in this conference have a duty to respect the outcomes of the conference and accept new leadership,” Magashule said.

Meanwhile, the ANC Gauteng conference commences on Friday at the St George’s Hotel in Irene. It is widely expected that the party’s acting provincial chairperson, David Makhura, who is also the premier of Gauteng, is expected to be elected ANC Gauteng chair.

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