Buoyed by two high-court victories, ANC North West strongman Supra Mahumapelo and his supporters are demanding that the party's interim provincial leadership be dissolved and a new one including them be formed.
Mahumapelo, the former North West premier who was axed last year, this week continued to be a thorn in the side of the ANC national leadership when he again defeated them in court, securing an order to be immediately reinstated in office.
This follows another court victory last week that overturned last year's decision of the ANC national executive committee to disband the provincial executive committee (PEC) he was chairing.
Sources in the ANC now say Mahumapelo and members of his disbanded PEC this week met with ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte and members of the provincial task team (PTT) in a bid to find a "political solution" to the impasse.
The insiders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mahumapelo and his supporters have proposed to the ANC's national leadership that the PTT should now be dissolved and an interim structure comprising 15 members from the two warring factions be instituted.
There was no outcome from the meeting with Duarte but it was agreed that the matter would go to the NEC, the ANC's highest decision-making body between conferences, which is holding a special meeting today.
Supra Mahumapelo seeks 'political solution' comeback
Buoyed by two high-court victories, ANC North West strongman Supra Mahumapelo and his supporters are demanding that the party's interim provincial leadership be dissolved and a new one including them be formed.
Mahumapelo, the former North West premier who was axed last year, this week continued to be a thorn in the side of the ANC national leadership when he again defeated them in court, securing an order to be immediately reinstated in office.
This follows another court victory last week that overturned last year's decision of the ANC national executive committee to disband the provincial executive committee (PEC) he was chairing.
Sources in the ANC now say Mahumapelo and members of his disbanded PEC this week met with ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte and members of the provincial task team (PTT) in a bid to find a "political solution" to the impasse.
The insiders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mahumapelo and his supporters have proposed to the ANC's national leadership that the PTT should now be dissolved and an interim structure comprising 15 members from the two warring factions be instituted.
There was no outcome from the meeting with Duarte but it was agreed that the matter would go to the NEC, the ANC's highest decision-making body between conferences, which is holding a special meeting today.
"Supra's people want the current PTT to be disbanded because they are not dominant. They want a new PTT. Some of his people also want the parliamentary list to be redone once both the PTT and the PEC faction get disbanded," said an insider.
The source said members of the PTT were opposed to Mahumapelo's proposal. "The PTT does not agree, they are saying the current PTT is not a single faction, it included people from all factions. If Mahumapelo wants to come back, he must come back because some of his supporters are there serving in the PTT," said the insider.
It's understood that several NEC members are sympathetic to Mahumapelo and believe a new interim structure should be set up in light of the North Gauteng High Court ruling that reinstated his PEC last Friday. But those opposed to Mahumapelo point out that the term of his PEC officially ended on Wednesday.
ANC acting spokesperson Zizi Kodwa confirmed Thursday's meeting with the North West groupings but declined to comment further. "We don't want to make any public statements about that meeting because a report must go to the NEC about that meeting, including other meetings," he said.
Mahumapelo could not be reached for comment by the time of going to print and the spokesperson of his disbanded PEC, Gerald Modise, declined to comment.
READ MORE: