The African National Congress in the Western Cape on Monday plastered over its cracks with an announcement that provincial transport and public works minister Mcebisi Skwatsha is to quit his post on July 27.
This followed a politically damaging dispute between Premier Ebrahim Rasool and the recently elected ANC provincial leadership, headed by James Ngculu, over the timing of Skwatsha’s resignation, which Rasool had maintained was to take effect from last Friday.
Skwatsha is to devote himself full-time to his duties as ANC provincial secretary, in line with policy laid down nationally by the ANC.
Monday’s announcement, this time supported by copies of Skwatsha’s resignation letter, was made by Rasool at a media briefing in Cape Town where he was flanked by Skwatsha and Ngculu.
He said it followed a meeting between himself and the ANC’s ”top five” officials in the province on Saturday morning.
”The meeting … succeeded in understanding and respecting the complementary roles played by all of us in the pursuit of the objectives of the ANC in the provincial leadership as well as in the provincial government. We are one ANC,” he said.
”The greater goal of a coherent relationship between government and the ANC, the greater goal of unity within the ANC and among the people of the Western Cape, cannot be held hostage to a few days.”
Rasool was unseated by Ngculu, an ally of Skwatsha’s, from the provincial chairmanship in a bitterly contested vote at the recent ANC provincial conference, which itself followed a row between Skwatsha and Rasool over the provincial minister’s use of public funds allegedly to promote himself in the media.
The premier said the presence of the two men alongside him on Monday was not an expression of micro-management of the provincial government by the party.
”I think it’s an expression of agreement on the fundamentals. Mr Skwatsha’s departure is not simply a premier’s prerogative … it’s a constitutional provision, and therefore the ANC is the custodian of the constitution of the ANC.”
He said there had been no talk about diminishing the power of the premier, and he did not feel weakened.
Ngculu said he was pleased with the outcome.
”The manner in which we handled it is helping ensure that we build this unity, continue to consolidate the main focus of our work in the ANC, take away all the things that would be taking us outside the key focus that we wanted to look into.
”What we did on Saturday laid the foundation for a number of other engagements.”
Skwatsha said the problems that occurred are normal in an organisation such as the ANC ”but have unnecessarily been compounded by certain sections of the media”.
”There are sections of the media, particular journalists, who have their own agendas. I think they have vested interests. But I really suggest if they want to be politicians, they come to ANC branches and we discuss politics.”
He also said he has no illusion that the party faces challenges in the province, and needs to rebuild unity. — Sapa