Magashule fumes at ANC members for disobeying his 'instruction' at Durban conference

ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule has come out guns blazing against mayors who disobeyed his instruction to reject Morocco's candidacy for chair of the Congress of the United Cities and Local Government (UCLG).

The congress was held in Durban last week.

According to Magashule, ANC members who attended the meeting ignored his order - and they should now be disciplined.

In a strongly-worded statement, Magashule accuses "individual members" of the ANC who took part in the UCLG congress of "insubordination".

Not only did they snub him, Magashule continued, but supporting Morocco was a betrayal of ANC conference resolutions. He said the ANC has long resolved to shun Morocco "for its illegal occupation of Western Sahara".

Spitting fire, Magashule said opinions of individuals on the issue of Morocco within the ANC would not be tolerated when there was an official party line resolved upon by the national conference, the highest decision-making body in the party.

Magashule threatened that the ANC would read the riot act to all members who supported Morocco at the congress.

"The conduct of some ANC representatives at the sixth Congress of UCLG and World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders that was held in Durban from November 11 to 15 may not be ignored and must be the subject of serious reprimand and disciplinary sanction," fumed Magashule.

"The longstanding principled position of the ANC with regards to Morocco and its illegal occupation of the Western Sahara, and the brutal repression of the Saharawi people, as well as the ANC's support for the Polisario Front, is well established.

"In an act of flagrant indiscipline and insubordination, some members of the ANC who represented the ANC at the said UCLG conference, supported the candidature of Morocco to be elected as chair of the UCLG," he went on.

"These individual ANC members have done so despite having been instructed by the secretary-general of the ANC, who is the administrative custodian and day-to-day guardian of the national conference resolutions and policy positions of the ANC, not to support Morocco's candidature.

"This instruction of the secretary-general of the ANC was also backed up by a similar instruction from the NEC subcommittee for international relations, which is chaired by comrade Lindiwe Zulu."

To this end, Magashule distanced the ANC from the "ill-disciplined actions" of some ANC members who attended the event and supported Morocco.

He said the ANC will thus institute disciplinary processes against those who disobeyed the party line.

PODCAST | Race muddies the discussion around competence in SA politics