Picture: (Generic: ANC members marching)
By BAKANG MOKOTO
Political turmoil continues to take place in the North West province. This comes after ANC branches in Ngaka Modiri Molema region picketed outside the ANC’s provincial office at Mpekwa House on Monday.
The branches spokesperson, Tholo Gotlagomang said they gathered at the ANC Provincial office to express their dissatisfaction with the manner in which the ANC Interim Provincial Committee (IPC) runs its affairs in the province.
Gotlagomang said the branches demand the intervention of the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) because the IPC has totally failed to unite the branches.
“The ANC IPC has been busy with a self-serving agenda of targeting municipal TROIKAs along factional lines and seeking to subject them to unprocedural and inconsistent disciplinary processes with the intention to remove and replace them with their cronies.
“As the branches of the ANC in Ngaka Modiri Molema, we want the IPC to be disbanded. The ANC IPC has not done anything in terms of its mandate since they occupied the office. The mandate of the IPC was to unite and establish proper ANC branches. However, they have failed dismally on that matter,” he said.
Gotlamang alleged that the ANC IPC coordinator in North West, Hlomane Chauke interfere with the process of municipal managers appointment in various municipalities.
“We have signed a petition calling for the ANC Secretary-General, Ace Magashule to remove this self-serving IPC. We want the office to be closed until our grievances are addressed.
Meanwhile, the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) in the North West shared the same sentiments. SANCO provincial secretary, James Gadinabokao said: “We want to send a clear message to Chauke that his time is over in North West. He must go back to Giyani because we will not allow him to mess up this province.
“Chauke must go with immediate effect because the term of the IPC has expired. We are going to tell the ANC National Executive Committee to come and remove Chauke as soon as possible, unless they want to see the North West on fire again. We said to Chauke that, we are looking at you and we are monitoring you.”
He said Chauke must leave the municipalities alone. Gadinabokao alleges that there is no single branch that was launched by Chauke in the province. He said Chauke’s mandate was to come and build the province, instead he is running around in the municipalities and departments.
Gadinabokao threatened that the time will come to revolt against Chauke. However, Chauke dismissed the allegations as hogwash. He called Gadinabokao a ‘tribalist’ of note that he had never seen in his life.
“I find it very disturbing after spending 30 years of my political life in the North West. So, it is unfortunate to receive such a video coming from a person who came from UCDP. Gadinabokao is clueless and has no understanding of the operations within the ANC.
“We understand that there are people marching to Mpekwa House, but generally whoever is marching to Mpekwa House need to know that is illegal. Comrades need to understand that we are under COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, so gathering of people is not allowed,” he said.
Chauke added they do not say comrades should not raise their grievances, but they need to follow necessary procedures. He said they expect to see the ANC branches adhering to the lockdown regulations and help with the matters of COVID-19.
“They know their roles and what ANC caucused on. There is no evidence that I am involved in any matter of hiring at municipalities. There are ANC processes that always work when coming to the matter of deployment, and I happen to be at the forefront of matters of deployment as the coordinator of the ANC in the province,” said Chauke.
The Guardian 