MECs, mayors, chief whip face the chop

A major provincial cabinet reshuffle and troika shake-up in at least four Eastern Cape municipalities is on the cards.

These include Mnquma, Enoch Mgijima in Komani, Port St Johns, as well as Walter Sisulu municipality in Aliwal North.

ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi announced this at a press conference held in Calata House in King William’s Town yesterday.

He said the provincial executive committee (PEC) received reports from sub-committees on the state of municipalities, as well as Bhisho government departments.

“We are not convinced that the capacity of the provincial cabinet is charged with its responsibilities, in particular now that we are coming from the provincial and national conference,” said Ngcukayitobi.

“We have agreed that the national officials, working with the provincial officials, must make a thorough assessment and make proposals about reconfiguration of the provincial government, meaning tampering with the deployment of the provincial government. We have taken that decision,” he added.

Also in the firing line is ANC chief whip Zolile Mrara, who did not make it into the PEC. Ngcukayitobi said they would have to make some changes in the provincial legislature, in line with the ANC’s own conference resolutions.

“That will be applicable to other positions within the provincial legislature wherein the ANC resolution says this position is supposed to be occupied by a member of the PEC. But when we are ready with that, we will brief the media,” said Ngcukayitobi.

The decisions were made during a two-day provincial executive committee meeting, which ended yesterday.

As part of implementing the decisions, the Oscar Mabuyane-led top-five officials have also been assigned to organise a meeting with top ANC officials to review its deployees in the Phumulo Masualle-led cabinet.

This will follow immediately after this weekend’s ANC provincial lekgotla at which Masualle and his provincial cabinet members would be expected to table reports on their performance in line with the ANC’s priorities as outlined before the 2014 general elections.

But it remains to be seen whether Masualle will attend this weekend’s lekgotla as he has yet to attend any of the meetings since losing to Mabuyane as chairman last October.

Asked what then if Masualle fails to pitch at the meeting which will be held in East London over the weekend, Ngcukayitobi said: “We are disappointed by his no-shows. We expected better from him on how he relates to the organisation.

“We are patient with every individual. Time will tell. At an appropriate time, the ANC will take a decision with the prevailing circumstances. We cannot preempt that decision. The honest truth is that we are disappointed with his non-attendance of ANC meetings.”

Ngcukayitobi said at local government the PEC had also decided to reshuffle council executives at Port St Johns municipality, Enoch Mgijima, Walter Sisulu and Mnquma.

“We have decided that, because of chaos in some of these municipalities, the PEC must take over certain functions. Part of those functions would be to oversee all the ANC caucuses,” said Ngcukayitobi.

“In Walter Sisulu in Joe Gqabi, there are inefficiencies and financial non-viability and problems of political leadership. We have agreed to take over the running of that municipality. What that means is that we may change the mayor, the speaker and chief, but that responsibility has been given to the officials working with the to discharge that responsibility.

“We have agreed to do the same in Butterworth . Everybody is concerned about the state of that particular municipality. I think we have left that state of decay for some time from the previous PEC to this current one. We have agreed to make changes in Mnquma, including changes in the troika and executive council. Within 14 days, we would have effected those changes. Alternatively, we would have come to report back to the PEC. It will be four municipalities – Mnquma, Enoch Mgijima, Port St Johns and Walter Sisulu. We want to intervene in the interest of the people of these municipalities,” added Ngcukayitobi.

“We will also make an intervention in Port St Johns municipality. We all know that there has been some instability in Port St Johns, and as a result of this, people have to suffer because of lack of service delivery. The PEC has agreed to tamper with the current mode of operations in that municipality,” he added.

The PEC has also discussed the issue of President Jacob Zuma and agreed to call on the ANC national officials to heed the call by South Africans to remove Zuma as state president.

“There have been calls by South Africans for the necessity to change the state president. And this comes from a variety of structures. The ANC officials must consider these views from these sectors and respond accordingly,” said Ngcukayitobi.