ANC leaders wants Guptas out
Polokwane - ANC leaders in Limpopo and Mpumalanga say the Guptas power to influence government must be eliminated.
Speaking after the meeting by the Provincial Executive Committee from both provinces, they said the African National Congress was voted into power not the Guptas.
The controversial Gupta family became unpopular after it emerged the family had influence over President Jacob Zuma and often dictated to government officials as revealed by the #GuptaLeaks.
"We have also agreed that we should remove the Guptas from all government making decision because people voted for the ANC not for the Guptas," said Mpumalanga provincial secretary Mandla Ndlovu.
Ndlovu and his Limpopo counterpart Nocks Seabi discussed the crisis and factions emerging in the party ahead of December elective conference.
Mandela warning
Ndlovu said the state the ruling party was warned about factions by its former leaders.
He said late state president Nelson Mandela had warned about impact of contestation saying it had the characters of fuelling cracks and rift in the party.
Ndlovu said 2007 produced the product Mandela had warned about.
''We felt very strong that we should engage one another and make sure that we have consensus leadership instead of having contestation,'' said Ndlovu.
The two provinces said their branches must nominate and take a decision over who should succeed President Jacob Zuma.
Currently, deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa and Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma who is also former AU leader are contesting to become president after Zuma.
Dlamini-Zuma was endorsed by a faction of ANCWL and ANCYL who openly called for the country to have first female president.
However, their support has become unpopular after links to the controversial Gupta family emerged.
On the other side, trade union Cosatu and its affiliates are throwing their support behind Ramaphosa, saying he is the mature candidate the movement produced to lead.
The Mpumalanga and Limpopo leadership described the campaign by candidates who are accepting nominations as premature and a violation of the organisation's rules and guidelines toward nomination process.
The nomination process is due to officially open in September.
"We agreed as the two provinces that we are going to allow the branches to nominate and consolidate, co-ordinate and manage their approach toward the national conference."
Ndlovu said a task team has been established to avert potential rift crisis ahead of December elective conference.
ANC Limpopo provincial secretary Nocks Seabi said they will take engagement to other provinces separately to ensure that provinces go to the national conference united.
"We have appointed task team that will work and present the position to the two PECs so that by the time we go to conferences we are better organised," said Seabi.
"We further said that we should engage the national executive committee so that they engage with the alliance partners and civil society to understand the complaints."
Ndlovu said the move to meet provincial party leaders outside the ANC was influenced by the failure by NEC to solve crisis faced by the former liberation movement.
