By Thys Khiba
Sasolburg – The Free State South African Communist Party (SACP) is calling on the national leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) to speedily intervene in uniting and uprooting anything sabotaging unity in the Free State African National Congress.
This is after the Supreme Court of Appeal’s outcome declares the previous provincial conference of the ANC Free State unlawful and unconstitutional.
“The SACP in Free State views this decision in serious light, given its implication on the work of the movement and associated tasks of discharging leadership to society at large. The SACP urges the national leadership of the ANC to speedily intervene, in a manner that unites and uproot the fault lines of disunity in the province, in their historical manifestations,” said Free State Provincial Spokesperson Phillip Kganyago.
The SACP says that the ANC should use this moment and outcome for objective reflection and introspection. More than that the SACP says that the unity of the ANC is sacred and demands respect for the supremacy of the collective interests of their movement and society.
The SACP uses key words like self-correct, reposition and renew to call on the ANC to resolve challenges faced by the ANC in Free State. “This moment provides a springboard for the ANC to meaningfully self-correct, reposition and renew itself from its basic units; to reconnect with the base and restore the consolidation of its leadership role in society.”It is reported that the 29 November 2017, the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein ordered that the ANC’s provincial congress (PC) should not be held until branch general meetings (BGMs) were lawfully held according to the ANC constitution.
Regardless of this, the ANC convened its PC on 10 and 11 December 2017, just five days before the national conference held at Nasrec.At that conference the current MEC for Police, Roads and Transport Sam Mashinini was elected as the Chairperson, replacing the now ANC National Secretary General, Ace Magashule.Meanwhile, the SACP in Free State indicates that it does not promote the use of courts to decide on party political matters, but they are calling on the ANC to use this moment for objective reflection.
“We call on all ANC structures in the province disciplined and calm, whilst we study the judgement and its implications for the movement, an in particular the Provincial Executive Committee elected at the conference,” said ANC National Spokesperson Pule Mabe.