/ 21 March 2006

ANC dissolves Pietermaritzburg leadership

The regional leadership structure of the African National Congress in the Greater Pietermaritzburg region has been dissolved, the party said on Tuesday.

The ANC’s KwaZulu-Natal secretary, Senzo Mchunu, said in a statement that the decision was taken after an intensive assessment of the regional leadership’s state.

”The PEC [provincial executive committee] felt that the nomination processes prior to recent local government elections created tensions and other problems among comrades in the region,” he said.

”Some of these problems were such that the REC [regional executive committee] could not resolve and affected the committee’s political authority to an extent that the REC could no longer provide expected political leadership.”

The region will fall under an interim leadership structure (ILS) for the next six months. They have been chosen from the provincial executive committee and are Nhlakanipho Ntombela, who will be the convener, Meshack Radebe; Nonswakazi Swartbooi; Ruth Bhengu; Zibuse Mlaba; Nathi Mthethwa; and Siyabonga Cwele.

”The main task of the ILS will be to revive branches and give political leadership to all ANC political programmes in the entire Greater Pietermaritzburg region of the ANC.”

A new regional executive committee will be chosen at the next regional conference of the party. — Sapa