Cape Town | Saturday
ALL eyes will be on Goudini Spa outside Worcester in the Western Cape on Saturday as premier Gerald Morkel and several of his MECs are expected to attend a meeting to drum up support for his line against the NNP’s national leadership.
The balance of power in the ruling NNP/DP coalition in the province’s politics swung back in Morkel’s favour on Friday when his entire cabinet pledged their support to him.
He also won a court order restoring his membership of the New National Party, which was suspended after he revolted against national NNP leader Marthinus van Schalkwyk’s plans for co-operation with the African National Congress.
Morkel’s victories put him in a powerful position ahead of the special “consultative conference” of the provincial NNP in Goudini on Saturday, called by his supporters in a bid to secure backing for his position.
His MECs are also expected to attend the meeting, where, an NNP source told Sapa, a motion of no confidence in van Schalkwyk would be moved.
Morkel emphasised on Friday that Saturday’s meeting was not a formal meeting in terms of the NNP constitution and had not been convened by himself.
“It is a consultative meeting to test the opinion of the rank-and-file of the NNP in the Western Cape.”
NNP members loyal to the Democratic Alliance have defied their national leadership’s orders not to attend, saying they will go ahead despite threats to discipline them.
Meanwhile, the ANC’s highest decision-making body outside congress was discussing plans to co-operate with the NNP at all government levels at a meeting in Johannesburg from Friday afternoon.
The national executive committee met amid turmoil in the NNP as members loyal to the DA stepped up their public campaign to defy their party leaders’ decision to co-operate with the ANC.
ANC representative Smuts Ngonyama said on Friday that a progress report on ongoing talks between the NNP and ANC would probably be tabled on Saturday as it had not yet been included on the meeting’s agenda.
Van Schalkwyk is to address a meeting of the NNP’s Northern Cape head council on Saturday. – Sapa
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