African National Congress (ANC) leaders in the Northern Cape were on Wednesday accused of pushing factionalism and increasing tensions within the party ahead of the provincial congress in Kuruman in two weeks.
Fezile Kies, spokesperson for ANC provincial secretary Neville Mompati, said the regional and league leaders who publicly declared support for provincial chairperson John Block this week were advancing a factional agenda.
”That news conference was just drumming up support for John Block,” said Kies.
”In our opinion, a grouping of the ANC cannot go to an office of the ANC and convene a press conference.
”Such blatant undermining is highly irresponsible and reinforces and advances a factionalist agenda.”
Mompati is standing against Block for the position of provincial ANC leader.
Kies’s comments follow a news conference on Tuesday that was held by the leadership of four ANC regions — Namakwa, Pixley ka Seme, Kgalagadi and Frances Baardt — as well as the ANC Women’s League and the ANC Youth League in the province.
Kies said the move claimed that the meeting was an official ANC event, which he denied.
The group, under the chair of Mac Jack, regional chairperson of Pixley ka Seme, said the decision to address the media was to ensure that ”a sober, but mature, political voice” reaches the general membership of the ANC.
”Our viewpoint is simply [that] we are the same leadership collective, under the leadership of John Block, which consolidated around the Polokwane product, and the leadership of Jacob Zuma,” a statement said.
A provincial candidate list for the provincial conference was also released.
It puts Block as provincial chairperson, Kenny Mmoeimang as deputy chairperson, Zamani Saul as provincial secretary, Alvin Botes as deputy secretary and Yolanda Botha as provincial treasurer.
The group said the noticeable absence of Northern Cape Premier Dipuo Peters from the lists was ”by no means an accidental omission”.
Peters was accused of not using ”the rare privilege to assist to build hegemony between the ANC and government” in the province.
”The premier rather defied the leadership and its mandates time and time again,” the statement reads.
Kies denied that the Women’s League and Youth League had ever met to solicit members’ views on their preferred leadership collective.
He said Mompati enjoyed huge support in the province and that the ANC branches would speak for themselves.
The Mompati group was also expected to hold a media conference on Thursday to explain their position.
Various reports had surfaced in the province of alleged violence and intimidation at branch meetings.
A team from the ANC’s national office was expected in the province from Thursday to do an audit on branch general meetings held. At these meetings delegates were elected to represent the branches at the provincial conference, where the new leadership would be elected. — Sapa