The African National Congress would not be drawn on Monday on whether it planned to replace the premiers of the Eastern and Western Cape, saying only that it would send officials to the provinces to address problems there.
Weekend newspapers reported that the ANC national executive committee had decided to sack Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool and Eastern Cape premier Nosimo Balindlela.
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said the planned visits followed a report by the national executive committee and that steps would be taken to address the problems there.
”We are not going to rush because the media has pre-empted the process,” Mantashe told reporters in Johannesburg.
He said that the information contained in media reports ”may be a product at the end of that process” but added that the nation is ”not going to wake tomorrow without Nosimo or Ebrahim”.
It would involve a ”step-by-step process and resolutions” followed by a decision.
”It remains an internal NEC decision that must be executed in a particular way.”
The NEC said in a statement that it had received a report on a number of provinces where it was necessary to take immediate measures to enhance governance and strengthen the ability of ANC structures to direct the work of government.
”This was particularly important with respect to the Eastern and Western Cape.”
The NEC agreed to a ”process of engagement” with ANC structures in those provinces on steps to address the problems, the release said.
At the press conference Mantashe said performance in the Eastern Cape was ”dismal”.
”Out of 45 municipalities, only one gets an unqualified audit,” he said.
He said the ANC was looking at a bigger picture than just dealing with premiers and said some provincial minister were appointed in areas not matching their skills.
He said removing people was ”not the first option”.
The party is also sending a delegation from the national working committee to the North West province at the end of the week.
Mantashe said the ANC was not interfering in government matters but as the governing party in South Africa it was taking its responsibilities seriously.
”The reality of the matter … if an ANC-led province in X or Y is not doing the right thing, it is the ANC that is going to pay the price.
”Therefore, what we are doing is not interference, it is taking our responsibilities seriously.”
Loss of support
The axing of premiers will lead to a loss of support for the ruling party in both provinces, the Independent Democrats (ID) said on Sunday.
”It is now almost certain that the ANC will lose the Western Cape and suffer significant losses at the polls in the Eastern Cape,” said ID leader Patricia de Lille.
”The damage in the Western Cape has already been done … The infighting of the ANC has already inflicted damage on a variety of state institutions on a national level and this is having a negative impact on service delivery, corruption, the fight against poverty and crime and job creation.”
She said that service delivery in the Eastern Cape has been poor since 1994 and that a change of premier in the Eastern Cape will have no effect on service delivery.
The ANC’s obsession with putting the positions of leaders and the interests of factions before the interests of the people will probably inflict more damage on service delivery in the province, said De Lille.
”This is not what we fought for in the struggle … the struggle was about putting the people before leadership positions, and it is becoming increasingly clear that the ANC has lost sight of the visions and ideals of the struggle.”
On the appointment of ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe to the Cabinet as the minister responsible for government business, De Lille said that the ID welcomed the decision and ”it is our hope that Motlanthe’s expertise will be applied to strengthen and deepen the debate at parliamentary level”.
‘Power plays’
Earlier, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said that the ANC’s apparent decision to axe Rasool and Balindlela showed party decisions were driven by ”factional power plays”.
DA leader Helen Zille said: ”Service delivery was never a consideration for the ANC in making these decisions.”
She said neither Balindlela nor Rasool had served their respective offices with distinction. ”Both their administrations have been tarnished by serious corruption allegations and service delivery failure.”
She said they were not previously removed because they were in the ”right” faction. ”It is only now that the political sands have shifted from [Thabo] Mbeki to [Jacob] Zuma that they face losing their jobs.”
Zille said the ANC national executive committee does not have the power to remove or appoint premiers.
According to the Constitution, premiers can only be removed by a provincial legislature resolution adopted by at least two-thirds of the members.
”Also, the Constitution prescribes that a new premier must be elected by a provincial legislature.”
Zille said the DA members in the legislatures will vote for who they believe to be best for the people of the province. ”We will not be used as a pawn in a political game between rival ANC factions,” she said. – Sapa