/ 1 February 2022

ANC provincial secretaries fear their powers will be usurped

Ramaphosa Can Win Over South Africa, What About His Own Party?
Two provincial secretaries insist the deadlock over Gwen Ramokgopa was part of an effort by the Ramaphosa faction to usurp their powers. (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

When the new week starts, the ANC’s national working committee (NWC) will revisit a contentious issue — whether to appoint Gwen Ramokgopa as a coordinator in the secretary general’s office.

This matter caused friction at last month’s national executive committee (NEC) meeting, with provincial secretaries opposing the suggestion that the NWC member be seconded to the party’s engine room.

Eyewitness News reported that there was a stalemate at the NEC meeting, with some accusing ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa and his allies of springing the issue on them.

The Mail & Guardian has spoken to two provincial secretaries who confirmed that there was a deadlock over Ramokgopa. They said this was part of an effort by the Ramaphosa faction to usurp their powers. 

This comes after the NWC asked the ruling party’s treasurer general, Paul Mashatile, to take over the duties of deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte, who is recovering from illness. 

The work had thus far been done by senior Luthuli House staff and members of the NWC in her absence. Duarte took over the secretary general’s duties after Ace Magashule was suspended for failing to step aside from his post — as per ANC rules — when he was charged with corruption.

Ramokgopa, an ally of Ramaphosa, was the first salvo fired at the Magashule faction in the NWC when she was appointed as a member ahead of Ayanda Dladlo last year, a move which made the president’s faction dominant in the working committee.

Provincial secretaries are said to be frustrated by recent events. 

“It’s not an objection to her [Ramokgopa]; the point made was, you already have full-time staff, the head of organising [Nomvula Mokonyane] is a member of the NWC. Nomvula is full time staff, the DSG [deputy secretary general Duarte] is … not well but she is not incapacitated and comrade Mashatile is holding the position well for Duarte. It makes no sense to bring someone else outside of the full time staff,” the one provincial secretary said. 

The other added that creating a post for Ramokgopa would also be in contravention of the ANC’s constitution. The provincial secretary – who is also aligned with Ramaphosa – said the problem was not a factional issue, but rather that secretaries were against the suggestion as a matter of principle. 

“We must also avoid creating positions that are not in the constitution. The problem in the future is: what is the power of coordinator against the power of the manager, comrade 

Febe Potgieter? Febe is a manager and Andries Nel is the coordinator between the secretariat. These positions are clearly understood. Would it not tamper [with] the position of Febe and Nel? These are the issues that we must properly be advised on,” they said.

The provincial secretary also said they felt “helpless” when the ANC centralised its candidates lists process in the build-up to last year’s local government elections. 

With the introduction of the electoral committee chaired by Kgalema Montlathe, provincial secretaries were left in the cold on the selection of councillors and mayoral candidates, with regions having more authority. This meant provincial secretaries were unable to rework, readjust and intervene in the selection process.

“The selection of councillors becomes a function of national and regional leaders. Secretaries just have to manage the coordination between national and region. That is a challenge, historically the list process would be shared by the secretary general and secretaries and in this regard it was not ideal for us and it’s part of the reasons why we feel that we are losing all authority,” the provincial secretary added. 

The secretaries also frowned on a letter from Mashatile instructing them to hold provincial conferences before the end of May, the two provincial secretaries said, adding that there was a feeling among those whose term had not yet ended that they were being pushed to hold conferences without having time to prepare.

An NEC member said the secretaries believed this would open them up to court challenges.

One of the two secretaries said: “It feels like it’s us against the NEC at every turn. There are some whose terms have not yet ended and yet the ANC is pushing for these provincial elections. There is a lot to be done before then, there are biannual branch general meetings and branch general meetings which have to sit.

“We are also seized with the work of regional conferences and we have lekgotla that we must be preparing. It’s a lot to do before May. In this we did not win. The NEC told us who is the boss and we had to concede that all provincial conferences must sit by the stipulated dates.”

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