Reconfiguration of WC leadership doesn't mean disbandment - ANC's Bhengu

CAPE TOWN - The African National Congress (ANC) said it’s not ready to announce what reconfiguration of its provincial executive in the Western Cape will look like following a decision by the national executive to make changes to the running of the party in the province.

The move is said to have upset the local leadership, which says they are still in the dark as to what this will mean.

The decision to reconfigure the leadership was taken after recent visits to the regions by the party’s national working committee.

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EWN understands that the party’s NEC is considering bringing in some of its old guard, like former premier, Ebrahim Rasool, who recently campaigned for the party in the Matzikama Municipality, to salvage the situation in the province.

Two years since a new leadership was elected for the province, their future is uncertain. 

ANC spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu, said that a recent announcement to reconfigure the provincial leadership did not mean a complete disbandment, as was the case in 2019.

"Reconfiguration means reinforcing, strengthening, amending. We did not use the word disbandment because disbandment means disbanding the entire provincial leadership."

After it’s worst electoral performance ever in the province with a paltry 19 percent of the vote in the last election, the party is now facing further threats from the Patriotic Alliance (PA), especially in rural towns, where already two ward councillors have jumped ship.

PA leader, Gayton McKenzie, recently laid down the gauntlet in social media videos, warning his political opponents that he was about to poach more of their leaders.

Bhengu said that the party would report back on its findings once the MEC had decided on a turnaround plan.

"The current leadership of the ANC has the responsibility to ensure that we have functional structures on the ground and if don’t have a good state of health, obviously the national leadership must be engaged, and must be very worried about it, and must act on it in real time."

The ANC's vote of no confidence in the Western Cape PEC is said to have deflated local leaders who appear to be soft targets for new political homes.