'We are tired of this man': Anti-Supra lobby calls for ANC to disband North West PEC

Pressure is mounting on the ANC to disband its North West leadership following a visit of the party’s national working committee to the province on Saturday.

On Sunday President Cyril Ramaphosa was in the Bojanelo Region in Rustenburg‚ where he was greeted with strong calls for the party to disband the provincial executive committee led by chairman Supra Mahumapelo.

Party members who attended the meeting said a number of Mahumapelo detractors made sharp calls for his PEC to be disbanded amid infighting in the province for the better part of 2018.

“We told Cyril directly that we are tired of this man. But he was diplomatic‚ telling us about democratic centralism and that he has heard our calls‚ they would be taken to the party structures‚” said an insider.

Earlier in the day‚ Ramaphosa emerged as a voice of reason as a large number of ANC members who attended the meeting sang anti-Mahumapelo songs. They later booed him as he took to the stage‚ trying to calm party members and kick-start the meeting.

Songs calling on Ramaphosa to disband the PEC and others predicting Mahumapelo's imminent departure could be heard at the Rustenburg Civic Centre.

Speaking after the meeting‚ ANC NEC member Zizi Kodwa said people who were making calls for disbandment were “putting the cart before the horse”.

“That decision does not rest with branches; it’s a function of the reports. We must get reports from all the four regions‚ which we will do tomorrow. It’s the NWC that will take the way forward‚” he said.

“The NEC and the NWC must do what is in the best interest of the ANC‚” said Kodwa.

He said the NWC had also visited the North West to follow up on claims that the party’s PEC was sabotaging the ANC election campaign. He said the ANC feared losing votes in next year’s national government elections.

“If we drop [votes in 2019] here‚ naturally we will drop even in the national percentage‚” said Kodwa.

He said the party did not want to take anything for granted this time around after its support dropped dramatically in the 2016 local government elections.

“We dropped by 20% in North West and for us we don’t want see a repeat of that‚ that was a major setback in the revolution and we think that we need to go back and reclaim the lost ground‚” said Kodwa.

He said for the party to reclaim its position in the province‚ it needed to ensure its structures were united and intact.