Reconfiguration is a combination of dissolution and reinforcement — Mbalula

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the national working committee (NWC) is ready to implement the decision of the national executive committee (NEC) to reconfigure party provincial structures in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. 

Mbalula said their actions will be guided by the party’s constitution, which has brought much speculation on what reconfiguration means for provincial leadership.

“We are going to tamper with the ANC leadership. That’s what reconfiguration means in the framework of the ANC. We have decided not to suspend the constitution but to use it to build the organisation. 

“We are going to reconfigure the leadership in terms of the framework of our constitution. You can’t reconfigure anyone without being guided by the constitution. 

“The buzzword is dissolution, others such as reinforcement. Overall, it is a combination of the two in the quest to unite our organisation,” he told the media in a briefing on Monday.

Mbalula said the NEC was provided with an analytical report by its NWC which was discussed during the NEC’s two-day meeting. He described the discussion as “rich and reflective, focusing on the task of renewal and rebuilding of the ANC in those two provinces as well as strengthening leadership”.

“The discussion in the NEC was robust. It started with the officials, we did not get along or have the same view on the matter. Even as the NWC. We then took the matter to the NEC which did not have a dominant view over the other, but in the end we came up with what I have explained.”

He conceded it was not easy to reach this decision but said there was overwhelming agreement on the diagnostic report presented, which provided context on how the party arrived at this juncture.

“The officials did not speak in the NEC. I presented the report on behalf of the NWC that analysed the situation in the provinces and it was undisputable, irrefutable. Except for one or two people. The report I presented about the state of organisation and how we interpret the situation and it was unanimously agreed to. We presented two options and at the end it was unanimously agreed to, the outcome of configuration.”

Mbalula said the officials would meet this week and provide details of the reconfiguration, which will be presented to the NWC next Monday.

“Thereafter we will deploy NEC members to all the regions in both provinces to explain and present the decision to structures. Everybody, including ANC members, they must wait for reconfiguration to be finalised as agreed by the ANC. 

This leadership shake-up takes place in the wake of party provincial structures organising rallies to commemorate the ANC’s January 8 birthday celebrations.

Shortly after the NEC concluded its meeting, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng put out posters about the provincial rallies scheduled to take place on February 3, headlined by their provincial chairpersons Siboniso Duma and Panyaza Lesufi respectively.

Despite there not being an official sanction against party political activities, Mbalula advised against the existing PECs’ activities until the process is concluded.

“We have not applied our mind whether rallies and other political activities must stop. A decision has been taken and it could be advisable that rallies must wait a bit, up until reconfiguration is finalised in this week. Everything must come to a standstill until we are done.

“We chose a week because we did not want to delay the functioning and running of the organisation in the two provinces.”

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