Disgruntled ANC branches in the province vowed to recruit members on the ground to join the party to create a sound base for what they termed the “Save the ANC” campaign against “controversial decisions” by the provincial executive (PEC) of the party.

The branches engaged in a provincial inter-branch forum meeting in Matlosana on Thursday last week and resolved to solicit the ANC national executive’s (NEC) intervention to denounce the alleged “wrong factional PEC decisions”. They claimed such decisions had plunged the party into two deeply divided factions led by chairperson Supra Mahumapelo and suspended provincial secretary Kabelo Mataboge.

Inter-branch forum spokesperson Tshepo Phetlhu said: “We have agreed to vigorously recruit members on the ground to join the ANC and ensure that these members are politically schooled and become members of the ANC. We want to disregard all controversial decision taken by the PEC and continue to appeal to the NEC to intervene.”

He said the meeting was arranged by ANC subregional branch coordinators and convenors across the province to discuss issues of commonality and the PEC’s modus operandi.

Phetlhu said the branches accused the PEC’s decisions to disband the ANC Ngaka Modiri Molema regional executive committee (REC) last year by suspending Mataboge and Tlokwe municipality council chief whip David Kham.

The also called on Ngaka Modiri Molema district mayor Phaladi Saku and Ramotshere-Moilwa mayor Africa Thale to resign from their positions, and called for the disbandment of Dr Kenneth Kaunda’s REC for their attempts allegedly to rig processes of regional conferences and the list process of the 2014 elections, among others.

“The PEC has no programme relating to the organisational collective. Their programme is to suspend and replace those they forced to resign with people who are in association with those in the majority in the PEC,” Phetlhu said.

“That type of operation has serious bearing on the way branches operate. The majority of people they suspend have been elected by the majority of branches, especially Mataboge and Kham. How then will branches operate in the midst of confusion created by the PEC?”

Several attempts to solicit comment from ANC provincial spokesperson Kenny Morolong were unsuccessful.

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