ANC MEDIA STATEMENT ON MPUMALANGA

The last few weeks have seen decision making structures of the African National Congress (ANC) grappling and discussing challenges faced by the Mpumalanga province, particularly here at the Gert Sibande Region.

Following last week's National Executive Committee (NEC) delegation to Lekwa Local Municipality's Sakhile township led by comrades Fikile Mbalula and Malusi Gigaba, which held discussions with community leaders on the unrest in the area, yesterday (20 October 2009) we presented a report to the ANC National Working Committee (NWC).

Committed to ensuring non-interruption of service delivery and restoring political stability in Lekwa, the NWC discussed the report and recommended an intervention process, which has today been endorsed by the ANC Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) - led by comrade David Mabuza - and welcomed by the Regional Executive Committee (REC). In terms of the NWC recommendations conveyed to Mpumalanga ANC structures by comrades Mbalula and Julius Malema, the following steps are to be implemented with immediate effect:

• To address concerns of mismanagement, weak administrative systems, charges of fraud and corruption, the Lekwa Local Municipality will now be placed under the Mpumalanga provincial administration, through invoking Section 139.
• In line with the ANC Manifesto with emphasis on zero tolerance for non-delivery, we have resolved to recall Lekwa Local Municipality Mayor, the Speaker, Chief Whip and all members of the Municipal Mayoral Committee. Vacancies will be officially declared.
• The provincial administrator who will take over all administrative functions, will be given a period of one year to bring stability to the Lekwa Local Municipality which is facing - among other challenges - lack of capacity and insolvency.
• ANC cadres in the REC will over the weekend address ANC BGMs on the NWC decisions and work hard towards preparing for upcoming by-elections to fill the vacancies.

The ANC is committed to bring a lasting stability in Lekwa and firmly believes that the culmination of the unrest we have seen in the past weeks can be traced to the scramble for power and state resources in the local council. The ANC subscribes to the principle that people come first and that our cadres at local government level should at all times be the face of interaction with communities on the ground whose concerns are paramount.

We also want to reiterate our call to communities here in Lekwa and elsewhere in the country not to resolve concerns through violence and destruction to public property, which has cost the taxpayers millions, but through dialogue.

Statement issued by the African National Congress, October 21 2009

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