By OBAKENG MAJE
A tuck-of-war is looming between the ANC and its tripartite alliances in the North West. This comes after the newly-elected ANC provincial leadership submitted the gazetted replenishment list to the North West Provincial Legislature (NWPL) yesterday without consulting them.
According to the SACP, COSATU, and SANCO, they were shocked to see the list in the media and various social media platforms. The ANC provincial leadership under the tutelage of flamboyant, Nono Maloyi, allegedly instructed its five members, who are Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs) in the North West to resign.
Those who are expected to receive a wielding axe are the embattled North West MEC for Arts, Sport, Culture and Recreation, Virginia Tlhapi, MEC for Finance, Motlalepula Rosho, MEC for Social Development, Boitumelo Moiloa, MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Desbo Mohono and the MPL, Mmoloki Cwaile.
These are officials, who are believed to be staunched supporters of the North West Premier, Bushy Maape. Those who are on the gazetted replenishment list are ANC provincial chairperson, Nono Maloyi, his deputy, Lazarus Mokgosi, Wendy Nelson, Jostinah Mothibe, and Elizabeth Mokua.
It is also alleged that, the ANC provincial leadership is doing this as a preparation to reshuffle the current cabinet.
However, the SANCO provincial secretary, Packett Seaketso came out guns blazing and said, what is currently happening within the ANC in the province is foreign. Seaketso further said, this will create unnecessary conflicts and divisions.
“You must look at the gazetted list because it is extraordinary. The list shows that people are in a hurry to do it. We were never consulted as the alliance.
“Remember, the list is a product of branches and provincial list conference. So, the people on the reserve list must all resign before they can replace them, then you can bring in the new list,” he said.
Seaketso said, it is surprising because the newly-elected ANC leadership is hardly three months in office, but they want to remove people without any performance assessment report.
SACP provincial secretary, Madoda Sambatha shared the same sentiments. Sambatha said, they just saw the list like any other members of the public when it was publicised at the legislature.
“That means, we have not been served with the list by the ANC. We were never in any fashion, given the information of the intention and names. The alliance we have with the ANC is not an alliance for convenience and personal happiness.
“It is an alliance based on the programs. However, there is a weakness that we need to indicate, failure to consult pushes alliance partners to be responding to the public because we have not been consulted,” he said.
Sambatha added that, they will not comment on the reshuffling issue for now, but they will do so after they were consulted. Cosatu provincial secretary, Kopano Konopi said, they were also not consulted as the alliance partner.
The ANC provincial spokesperson, Tumelo Maruping said: “We can confirm that, indeed, the names that appear on the gazetted replenishment list were submitted and is part of strengthening the legislature.
“Look, the ANC provincial elective conference just concluded last month, and ordinarily, the issue of reshuffling is inevitable. However, the ANC provincial leadership has not reached that point.”
Maruping said, they had two meetings with the North West Provincial Government (NWPG) EXCO including the ANC Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs). He said, this was part of monitoring, evaluation, and accountability.
“So, we are still in the process, but we have not yet reached the point where we are saying, there will be a reshuffling anytime soon. Indeed, there is a new leadership of the ANC in the province and it is inevitable that such leadership must be reflected in the legislature.
“We have noted the concerns of the COSATU and SACP. There is an internal engagement that we are having and we do not want to divulge that to the media, for now,” Maruping said.
On the issue of SANCO, he said there are issues that they are still resolving because there were two SANCO leaderships emanating from their national conferences. Maruping said they have also received a mandate on how they should resolve that issue concerning SANCO.
Meanwhile, the ANCYL provincial secretary, Tshiamo Tsotetsi said, the list indicates a clear intention on the part of the ANC to reconfigure the current setup of its caucus and change some MPLs.
“We affirm that the ANC in consultation with its partners is well within its right to change its deployees to government. Especially if such is done with a view of strengthening the government to deliver quality services to the people of this province.
“However, we remain concerned about the exclusion of the youth in the legislature. The failure by the ANC to include capable youth in the legislature has by now evolved into being a norm,” Tsotetsi said.
He said, the ANCYL in the province has been consistent in calling for the inclusion of young people in all strategic centres of power and influence. Tsotetsi said, they have capable young people in abundance such as Stella Mondlane, Wessels Morweng, and Tumelo Maruping, who are well-educated, skillful and highly creative.
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