Eastern Cape cabinet reshuffle to be challenged

Disgruntled ANC members in the Eastern Cape will on Tuesday approach the Grahamstown High Court in an attempt to nullify the recent provincial cabinet shake-up.

The group will bring an urgent application next week in an attempt to block the reshuffle from being fully effected.

On Thursday Premier Phumulo Masualle announced a reshuffle of his cabinet‚ which saw the axing of four MECs that were supporting his campaign for chairmanship leading up to last year’s provincial elective conference.

Late on Thursday members of the party‚ through Wikus van Rensburg Attorneys‚ demanded that the premier not go through with the reshuffle‚ claiming that the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) that mandated Masualle was not in good standing.

In the letter‚ which was also copied to ANC secretary general Ace Magashule‚ the attorneys say that they had been approached by “concerned” ANC members that were delegates at last year’s conference that ended in violence.

The lawyers claim that the conference collapsed and the standing of the PEC was questionable and the structure should not be taking any decisions as ANC internal remedial processes had not been exhausted.

Subsequent to the conference a team led by Sbu Ndebele was established to probe the outcomes of the conference.

“For reasons which our clients cannot understand‚ the NEC has yet to debate the Ndebele report and make a decision. In the meantime‚ the current PEC is making decisions‚ many of which are controversial and have a far-reaching effect not only for the ANC but also for the province as the whole. It is our client’s view that these decisions are null and void‚” part of the letter of demands reads.

The group will further bring a second urgent application to compel the NEC to make a decision on the Ndebele report.

“In the event of the Premier taking further decisions on the instructions of the PEC‚ including the reshuffle of the cabinet‚ we hold instructions to bring an application to set those decisions aside‚” the lawyers further demand.