African National Congress (ANC) premiers and mayors who refuse to take instructions from the organisation will be removed from their position, ANC treasurer general Mathews Phosa said on Sunday.
Speaking at the ANC’s 96th anniversary rally in Philippi in Cape Town, Phosa said there was no ANC leader who was above the organisation.
”If President Thabo Mbeki can take instruction from the organisation, then who are you as councillor or premier to refuse to do the same? If you do not take instruction, then you are asking for marching orders,” he said.
He dismissed as sensationalism a suggestion that there was tension between ANC president Jacob Zuma and Mbeki.
”Mbeki and Zuma are working together — they are busy implementing the resolutions of the Polokwane conference. Those who want us to believe otherwise are simple lying.”
Speaking at the same event, ANC Western Cape provincial chairperson James Nqulu conceded that the ANC’s national conference in Polokwane had left the organisation divided.
”It was a difficult conference,” he said.
Nqulu, who supported Mbeki’s third term bid said it was important for members to realise that Mbeki was simply exercising his democratic right to stand — so were those who supported him.
”It is normal in the ANC for leadership to be contested,” he said.
However, it was abnormal for candidates who had lost in the election to be victimised by those who had won.
He said leaders had contested election in the ANC before but they were never humiliated after losing.
Nqulu appealed for unity in the organisation.
He said it was important for the ANC to put Polokwane behind it for the sake of unity. – Sapa