By OBAKENG MAJE
It seems factionalism continues to be the order of the day within the African National Congress (ANC) in the North West.
This comes after ‘unknown’ ANC councillors who were sworn-in at Mamusa Local Municipality allegedly defied their party’s mandate and voted with the opposition parties by electing the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) councillor, Olebogeng Mogorosi as the new municipal speaker.
The ANC Interim Provincial Committee (IPC) spokesperson in the North West, Kenny Morolong lambasted ANC councillors at the municipality after they agreed to vote through a secret ballot which was against the directive of the party.
“In the worst act of counter-revolution, some ANC councillors who are unknown at this stage, voted in favour of the candidate of the opposition and elected him as the speaker of the municipality.
“The ANC vehemently condemns this act of disloyalty and betrayal which undermines the will of the people of Mamusa. The ruling party secured victory during recent Local Government Elections (LGE) after winning 7 out of 8 wards,” Morolong said.
According to statistics, the ANC is represented by nine councillors in a 16 member council. He further said the support the ANC enjoys in Mamusa was also palpable twenty two months ago when the ruling party secured victory during a hotly contested by-election following the disbandment of the previous municipal council.
“The ANC will investigate the conduct of our councillors whose actions have brought the movement into disrepute. Our councillors have recently signed deployment contracts, committing themselves to respect the constitution of the ANC,” he said.
“So, the actions of these faceless elements constitute gross violation of their deployment contract and the ANC constitution. As the IPC, we will continue to engage with our councillors with a view to expose perpetrators of this despicable act of treachery,” he said.
Today in Vryburg, the ANC IPC convened an ‘emergency’ meeting with its councillors from the embattled municipality. Morolong said ANC will spare no effort in unmasking and exposing these deceptive elements and ensure that they face the full might of the party’s constitution.
Meanwhile, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in the North West shared the same sentiments.
COSATU provincial secretary, Kopano Konopi said: “We have learned with disgust of the betrayal of the will of the people of Mamusa and the mandate of the ANC by organisationally ill-disciplined and politically immature individuals deployed as councillors by the ANC in Mamusa.
“The ANC was mandated by the voters in the municipality to govern and work together with the community to build a better Mamusa. However, this mandate was betrayed when some ANC councillors veered from the mandate of the organisation, decided to carry the mandate of dark forces and vote with the opposition.”
Konopi further said these organisationally ill-disciplined and politically immature elements have shown the ‘middle’ finger to the efforts of the liberation movement of renewal, hard work, development, self-correction and accountability.
He said it is for a reason that they are calling on the ANC IPC to exercise decisive leadership on the conduct of these councillors.
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