The African National Congress (ANC) in the Lejweleputswa Region in the Free State province has fired a local councillor and senior regional members for allegedly associating themselves with Ace Magashule’s party.
The summary mass expulsion of the members was announced by the regional leadership in the mining town of Welkom on Thursday.
Although the regional secretary, Riet Mogomotsi did not mention Ace Magashule’s party by name, he said the members are occupying ANC positions, but they are later seen attending “meetings of other parties”.
Magashule’s party, African Congress for Transformation (ACT) was launched last month and it has already started making inroads in the province.
During the unveiling of the party, Magashule boasted that the Free State “is already in the bag”’ as he knows the province like the back of his hand.
“As the REC (regional executive committee) we have so-called members who defected to other parties (ACT).
“We have engaged with our structures formally to identify people who have not resigned from the ANC and chose to join those political parties.
“We have come to realise that there are instances where these people attend ANC meetings and in (sic) the next day they are seen wearing T-shirts of other political parties,” Mogomotsi said.
He added that what irked them the most was that these people were clinging to ANC positions, while doing work for other political parties.
“These people are clinging to ANC positions while they poach ANC members. These people are sitting in ANC positions and not doing any work, but they are engaged in an attempt to cripple the ANC or weaken the ANC from within,” he alleged.
On Wednesday the chief whip of the ANC in the Matjabeng (Welkom) local municipality announced the suspension of Joyce Thwala for allegedly being the “contact person” of ACT.
sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za
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