ANC top six to swoop on Western Cape amid calls to disband provincial leadership
The party's secretary general‚ Gwede Mantashe‚ has written to provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs to inform him about the move.
This comes amid serious divisions in the province that saw the party’s biggest region‚ Cape Metro‚ also known as the Dullar Omar region‚ disbanded last month.
Thereafter leaders from four regions held an ''unauthorised press conference'' calling for the provincial leadership to step down.
Joining Zuma and Mantashe on Saturday and Sunday will be his deputy‚ Cyril Ramaphosa‚ deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte‚ chairperson Baleka Mbete and treasurer-general‚ Zweli Mkhize.
This will be the second time in less than two years that the party's top six have been deployed to the province which has been plagued with many leadership challenges and divisions.
“The agenda of the meetings is to discuss the recent declaration by 4 regions for the PEC to disband as well as the disbandment of Dullar Omar by the PEC (sic)‚” wrote Mantashe.
Jacobs confirmed he had received a letter from Mantashe informing him about the planned visit.
“As the [province] were are preparing for their visit. They will be given an opportunity to listen to the branches and members on these matters‚” said Jacobs.
National ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa could not be reached for comment.
Party insiders spoke with TimesLIVE on condition of anonymity‚ confirming fears of a disbandment.
A provincial executive committee member said the campaign to have the province leadership disbanded had long been in the works.
“My sense is that‚ it’s unheard of for officials to come down to entertain an unauthorised press conference by individuals that claim to represent their regions‚” said another PEC member.
Another PEC member did not believe the party leadership will be disbanded. However he believed the provincial leadership had valid reasons to disband the Dullar Omar region because its leadership defied party instructions.
Dullar Omar chairman‚ Xolani Sotashe‚ declined to comment on the specifics about the region’s issues.