The political future of some members of the African National Congress (ANC) in the Mangan region of the Free State is in limbo. Four members were suspended early last year and three have yet to receive a verdict since they appeared at the party's disciplinary hearing.
With only a few days left until the 2024 general election, suspended members are wondering whether they should campaign for their party.
The Free State ANC has suspended four members for holding a parallel Mangan election conference in November 2022. The meeting continued despite the group's unsuccessful lawsuit to prevent the party's then-Mangan Interim Regional Committee (IRC) from holding the meeting.
The ANC faction in Mangan region elected its leaders at its controversial conference. At this parallel meeting, Mr Patrick Monyakoane was elected Chairman, Mr Monnapur Ntamo was elected Vice-Chairman and Mr Tonto Selebedi was elected Regional Secretary General.
Fanny Lelimo, Ntamo and Selebedi appeared at the party's disciplinary hearing early last year. Meanwhile, Patrick Monyakoana is reported to have fled. More than a year has passed and the three have not been sentenced.
So-called general suspension letters setting out the same charges were sent to the suspended members. The party's provincial spokesperson, Jabu Mbalula, explains:
“There were basically two different cases. The first case was that of councillors from Mangan Municipality who voted for the opposition side and they were given a fair chance and appeared before the DC but were expelled by the movement. They appealed against the expulsion through the court but lost there too. The second issue involves about four comrades who held a parallel meeting at Bon Hotel. These people were also given an opportunity to appear before the DC which they did and as far as we know, the issue has now been resolved. If there is still any misunderstanding about how the process was managed, that is a matter for us as the PEC to address.”
According to the party constitution, if a party member appears before a disciplinary committee, the procedure must be completed within six months. The rules may only be changed upon a written request for an extension. Failure to comply with it means the matter must be discarded. Mr Mbalula elaborated further:
“Usually what happens is, depending on the level at which the violation occurred, once the DC is seated, it is reported to the political machinery, and then the political machinery either agrees or disagrees with the case, and if they do not agree It also includes the process of how those matters can be appealed within the African National Congress. In this case, the DC actually sits and the presenter represents the ANC's provincial executive committee. Now that we have filed a lawsuit, what needs to happen is we need to make sure that the communication was actually made to them.”
Communication and transparency
Political analyst Professor Setsulego Matebesi believes communication and transparency are needed in cases like this, otherwise problems will arise.
“Once a disciplinary case is filed against you, there should be a hearing, and that hearing should take place within a certain set time.The question is, are you now a member of the party? , that means you need to go out and exercise for a certain party, this thing stays in your head, but how do you do it? And that matters very much to me, and I strongly believe that the ANC, not just the Free State province, should make an agreed effort to deal with disciplinary matters decisively and quickly. This is because these members may have been actively campaigning for the African National Congress. Because what is happening now? That only adds to the confusion. ”
The ANC has acknowledged that a communications failure has occurred.
“Our only responsibility is to clarify, if there are misconceptions that need to be clarified, those who have been determined by the DC to have committed no serious violations so that they can continue to be considered members of the African National Congress. It appears that there was indeed a clerical error in which the decision was not communicated on time. We, as the provincial executive committee of the ANC, have a responsibility to ensure that there is proper communication between us and the DC. We need to make sure that they can take it and that they feel safe,” Mbalula explains.
Meanwhile, Professor Matebesi advised the ANC to go back to the drawing board and resolve the errors.
“The accused members need to know that. But other members of the African National Congress will also have an important interest in this issue, this is not just a question of violations, it is a parallel issue. Remember, it was the members who decided to hold the regional conference, so what does that mean? There seems to be some internal conflict, and the fact is that the ANC of the Free State is on this issue. We're going to have to figure it out or go back to square one to actually put it to bed.”
Patrick Monyakoana, the only party member to flee the disciplinary hearing, has reportedly joined former president Jacob Zuma's MK party. Ousted former Mangan metro deputy mayor Mapaseka Mothibi-Nkoane has revealed that he has found a new political home in the African Congress for Transformation (ACT), led by former ANC general secretary Ace Magashule.
