African National Congress (ANC) alliance partners in the North West have threatened to collapse election work if the party does not take General Secretary, Ace Magashule, to task over his alleged tempering of party national and province candidate list.
This after Minister of State Security Agency, Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, accused Magashule of tempering with the list.
The controversial list that has turned ANC members against one another contains glaring changes from the initial list submitted to the ANC Secretary General’s office, to this one submitted to the IEC.
Alliance partners say the changes are questionable and seem to have elevated those close to Supra Mahumapelo.
Secretary of South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco), Packet Seaketso, says that they have raised the manipulated list with the president.
“The Secretary-General of the ANC has manipulated the list and included his own cronies. We have raised this thing with the President last week in Klerksdorp and in Mahikeng to say we need his political intervention, failing which we will find it difficult to work the election with the ANC list.”
Chairperson of Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu), Solly Lekhu, says that the tempering means that branches of the ANC are no longer respected.
“If we get a view that the process was tempered with; obviously we will have a problem because it then means the branches of the ANC are no longer respected.”
SA Communist Party (SACP) provincial Secretary, Madoda Sambatha, says the tempering violates the guidelines of the ANC.
“This tempering does not only violate the principle of unity, it violates the ANC’s own guidelines. Comrade Ace has done above which, with an expectation of tempering with the list.”
The ANC announced it will be withdrawing the name of party Women’s League deputy secretary, Bitsa Lenkopane, for having criminal records. Her name was initially at the bottom, but suddenly sprung higher on the final list submitted by Magashule.
ANC deployee in the North West, David Mahlobo admits there are problems.
“If comrades are of the view that the list has been tempered with, they know that these are matters of the organisation and we should be able to deal with them internally.”
Magashule, through the party’s national acting spokesperson, Dakota Legoete, indicated that he would comment at a later stage.
