A week ago, ANC Eastern Cape Secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi announced that the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) took a decision to dissolve the Regional Executive Committee (REC) of the Amathole Region for “defying” the party’s provincial leadership directives and failing “to save itself from itself”.

Ngcukayitobi said the structure is in a position of paralysis. 

This happened despite the ANC’s highest decision-making body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), calling for all structures to desist from dissolving branches in the middle of nominations.

On 23 September 2022, Mashatile wrote to all provincial and regional secretaries cautioning that “the dissolution of branches at this stage will have the effect of destabilising and disrupting the nominations process. We appeal to PECs and RECs to guard against such interventions.”

Read more in Daily Maverick: “The man who would be ANC king — never, ever bet against Paul Mashatile”

In the letter sent to Ngcukayitobi, and seen by Daily Maverick, Mashatile said “whilst our correspondence, attached hereto, referred specifically to branches, its spirit applies to the stability of ANC structures generally in the run-up to National Conference”.

“In this context, we request the PEC to provide us with a report outlining the basis on which the PEC has invoked Rule 19.9.12 to dissolve the REC of the ANC Amathole Region.” 

Rule 19.9.12 of the ANC constitution gives the PEC powers to suspend, dissolve and relaunch branch executive committees and regional executive committees where necessary. 

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Amathole Region is a stronghold of the faction defeated at the Eastern Cape conference in May this year. Tension between the PEC and the region had been simmering before the provincial elective conference.

They will have 100 delegates at the ANC’s National Elective Conference. Spokesperson Thabo Matiwane said they would support NEC member Phumulo Masualle and whoever he supports.

The region’s secretary, Teris Ntutu, remains suspended after corruption charges against him were reinstated. Ntutu and 17 others, including businesspeople and their companies, as well as former and current employees of Mnquma Local Municipality, were charged for allegedly irregularly awarding contracts and for gratifications received by some of the accused. 

The contracts in question are the more than R24-million Turnkey electrification project, awarded to RPS Engineering CC/RPS Ilangabi, and the supply and delivery of cleaning equipment for one year awarded by Mnquma Municipality to Big Event Boy to the value of R10-million.

In his appeal against the dissolution of the Amathole Region, its chairperson Khanyile Maneli argued that the PEC relied on insufficient grounds to arrive at a decision to dissolve the newly elected REC.

“We dispute that the REC has not been doing programmes. In the region we have successfully completed phase one of campaigns towards national general elections which are laying the foundation for all election structures [to] have been established.” 

Maneli also said they did not defy any party orders, using the example of Amathole District Municipality, where the PEC removed the leadership troika. Former executive mayor Nceba Ndikinda, former council speaker Nondumiso Mgidlana and former chief whip Nonceba Mfecane were recalled by the ANC for defying party orders, on 2 August 2022.

“The REC officials were informed of the decision to recall the troika and that decision was not contested. The REC went on to recommend the new troika, after which the PEC made the final deployment, which was effected without any contestation by the REC.

“Furthermore, the PEC reconfigured the mayoral committee – the REC was not involved in the deployment of the new mayoral committee which, on its own, is against the deployment policy, but the deployment of the PEC was effected without any contestation from the REC.”

The ANC is just a week away from holding its national elective conference, which promises to be tense following recent developments in the party, including the Phala Phala scandal.

Ngcukayitobi told Daily Maverick that Mashatile will receive the report on why they dissolved the region. DM