By Lizeka Tandwa, News24
Carletonville – Little more than 24 hours after the ANC in Gauteng asked President Jacob Zuma to “do the right thing”, the party’s deputy provincial chairperson David Makhura refused to entertain questions of clarity on the province’s stance.
When asked by journalists in Carletonville what the Gauteng ANC provincial executive committee meant when it said in its statement on Tuesday “that Zuma should reflect deeply and do the right thing to resolve the unprecedented crisis that the ANC currently faces,” Makhura said questions should be addressed to the party’s spokesperson.
Makhura, in his capacity as Gauteng premier was engaging residents in West Rand on Wednesday as part of the Ntirhisano Community Outreach programme.
A branch member in Carletonville, who was part of the delegation that accompanied Makhura, said they were in full support of their leaders in Gauteng.
“We are waiting for the leadership to come back to us and give us feedback. They have our support and they know that. We are in unison. We believe as they do,” the member said.
A branch leader told News24 that the PEC’s stand against Zuma would help the province win the elections.
Read also: Beneficiaries of patronage? For Zuma’s apologists, ignorance is no excuse.
“People are angry. We on the ground feel unheard. We are now able to show our faces to people because of the bravery of our leaders,” he said.
The two members refused to be named.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Gauteng ANC’s PEC stopped short of saying that it wanted Zuma to step down.
This was despite a source telling News24 and ANC Gauteng chairperson Paul Mashatile telling the Mail&Guardian that the Gauteng ANC PEC had resolved that Zuma should step down.
ANC Gauteng chairperson Hope Papo told News24 Live this week, “Members of the provincial executive committee made several proposals, for example [that] the president says ‘Because of these concerns I should step aside as the president of the republic and just remain the president of the ANC’.” –Â News24
Source:Â http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/makhura-mum-on-gauteng-ancs-stance-on-zuma-20160413
ANC Gauteng Provincial Executive Committee media statement
ANC Gauteng Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) held a Special meeting on Monday, 11th April 2016. The meeting received a detailed report on the decisions of the Extended ANC National Working Committee (NWC) regarding the Constitutional Court judgement.
The PEC welcomed the decision by the NWC for a broader consultation and engagement on its decision within ANC constitutional structures, the Alliance and various sectors of society. Working with ANC Regional Executive Committees (REC’s), the PEC will coordinate a programme to consult widely among ANC constitutional structures, especially branch members.
During these consultation meetings, we will report about the decision of the NWC and seek the views of our members and a broad cross section of sectors of our society.
The ANC is recognized as a central mobiliser, organiser and inspirer of a vast popular mass of progressive organizations and their views are important to us.
We call on all ANC members to exercise maximum discipline by actively participating in this internal consultation process. The outcome of this consultation process will be discussed with the ANC national leadership.
In this regard, The PEC noted and accepted the public apology of President Jacob Zuma. However, the PEC believes that the apology is just the beginning of dealing with the political damage and mistrust caused by the mismanagement of the Nkandla matter.
The PEC believes that the ANC has already paid a price during the 2014 elections, due to among others, the anger of the electorate about the matter. As the ANC we have to do a deeper introspection and take far-reaching decisions that will repair the damage to our image and to continue to enjoy the confidence and trust of our people.
The PEC reiterated that the ANC has earned its leadership of society through the struggles and sacrifices of its members and supporters over generations. It is in that context that our President comrade Jacob Zuma should reflect deeply and do the right thing to resolve the unprecedented crisis that the ANC currently faces, The ANC has never taken the support of our people for granted and was founded to defend and advance the rights of our people.
