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Opposition parties in North West threaten to interdict ANC provincial Lekgotla

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Opposition parties in the North West have threatened to interdict the ANC provincial Lekgotla in Rustenburg this coming weekend. The threats by the parties follow a letter written by the coordinator of the ANC Interim Provincial Committee, Hlomane Chauke, in which he indicates that municipalities must take full responsibility for the accommodation and travel costs of their delegates to the party’s Lekgotla.

Among those invited to the Provincial Lekgotla are all ANC deployees in government. That also includes troikas, mayors and municipal managers from district and local municipalities. In the invitation letter that is in the possession of SABC News, Chauke, has indicated that municipalities must take full responsibility for the accommodation and travel costs for their delegates to the party’s Lekgotla. This seems to have not gone down well with both the EFF and DA in the province.

DA leader, Joe Macgluwa, says they need answers from Premier Job Mokgoro. He says if they are not satisfied, they will approach the High Court to interdict the Lekgotla.

“Following our letter to the Premier of the North West, Job Mokgoro, we now demand answers from him as to whether this Lekgotla is still going on and still be funded by the various municipalities. He must announce himself on who will be footing this bill and also we say as a political party, that we will approach the High Court to interdict this Lekgotla should it go ahead and be funded by the respective municipalities.”

Responding on behalf of the provincial government, spokesperson for the Premier, Vuyisile Ngesi, has dismissed the allegations, saying they are malicious.

“We want to dismiss it with the contempt it deserves the allegations that the North West provincial government or any government entity in the province is paying for the ANC provincial Lekgotla in the North West. It’s not true, it’s malicious and we cannot be using government money to pay for party political activities.”

Spokesperson for the ANC Interim Provincial Committee, Kenny Morolong, had this to say when defending the correspondence they have sent to municipalities.

“When he refers to municipalities, he does not refer to an institution called a municipality. He refers to a collective of particular municipal councillors who are then expected to pay for their own accommodation and transport. It has never happened in the history of the ANC in this province where government pays for accommodation or transport of ANC deployees deployed in government; it has never happened.”

Morolong says the provincial Lekgotla will proceed as planned and should there be any legal proceedings against it, they are more than ready to challenge that move.

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