ANC NEC member Oped Bapela allegedly misrepresented the party during a trip to Morocco. Picture: GCIS
ANC deputy chair of its international relations sub-committee, Obed Bapela, has been relieved of his duties for misrepresenting the party’s principles and policies during what he claimed was a family trip to Morocco.
The former deputy minister’s removal comes after the party asked him this week to explain his actions in Morocco.
ANC deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane has also asked Bapela to cease all engagement with governments or political parties on behalf of the ANC.
Bapela came under fire for allegedly saying in Morocco that the ANC was calling for the intensification of economic ties with the country.
The South African government deems Morocco’s annexation of a region within Western Sahara as illegal.
It is further alleged that he organised an ANC delegation and misrepresented it as an official party delegation.
Bapela – who is also a member of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) – could face disciplinary action in the coming weeks.
In a statement on Friday, the party said Bapela failed to give a full account of the Morocco meeting, as well as failed to give reasons why his actions should not be considered to be in violation of ANC policies and principles.
To this end, the ANC wishes to advise that Cde Obed Bapela has been removed of his duties as deputy chairperson, as a member of the ANC NEC sub-committee on international relations.
“The ANC secretary-general will be referring the matter to the chief national presenter to prepare for the institution of disciplinary action due to violating the constitution when he failed to comply and implement resolutions of the ANC 55th national conference and preceding conference resolutions,” the party said.
During the meeting, Bapela is said to have voiced support for Morocco’s reintegration into the African Union, which could further strengthen bilateral relations across the continent.
ALSO READ: Stained by blood and theft: Morocco breaking the shackles of a coloniser
Commenting on Bapela’s actions on Thursday, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri emphasised the ANC’s “principled and longstanding position of solidarity with the people of Western Sahara“.
“Our movement, since its inception, has aligned itself with the struggles of oppressed peoples around the world, and we reaffirmed our longstanding position at the 55th national conference, which is the unequivocal support for the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and the decolonisation of Western Sahara.
“We have consistently condemned Morocco’s occupation and viewed it as a violation of international law and called for the implementation of United Nations resolutions that demand a referendum on self-determination for the Sahrawi people,” Bhengu-Motsiri said.
ALSO READ: ANC and govt at crossroads over Morocco’s proposal for autonomy for Western Sahara
The ANC and Algeria’s National Liberation Front have been united in the fight for an independent Western Sahara.
Tensions between South Africa and Morocco played out during the Brics summit in Cape Town last year when the Moroccan government declined an invitation to attend the summit at the 11th hour.
NOW READ: State and the ANC at loggerheads over Morocco relations
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
