ANC lambasts Mahumapelo for flouting ‘organisational discipline’

The African National Congress (ANC) on Sunday 2 February rebuked Mahumapelo and urged its members to “subject themselves to organisational discipline”.

The ANC had noted media coverage of comments made by Mahumapelo around the motion tabled by the Democratic Alliance (DA) to initiate proceedings for the removal of Mkhwebane, ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe said in a statement.

Mahumapelo “spoke in his personal capacity and his views do not represent that of the organisation”. It should be noted that the ANC had not yet discussed its position on the motion, he said.

ANC caucus sole authority

The ANC caucus in Parliament, guided by the national office, was the sole authority mandated to pronounce on positions of the ANC on matters before it — not individual members unless so delegated.

“The ANC once again reminds its members of the principles that inform organisational discipline as articulated in ‘Through the Eye of the Needle’, that ‘individual leaders are elected into collectives which should work as a unit … no single person is a leader unto himself or herself, but a member of a collective which should give considered, canvassed guidance to membership and society as a whole’.

“The ANC reaffirms its confidence in the public institutions established to promote democracy, including the office of the public protector. We therefore encourage leaders and members of the ANC to exercise their freedom of speech within the confines of the structures and discipline of the ANC,” Pule said.

What Mahumapelo said

On Saturday 1 February, IOL reported that Mahumapelo had come out against the motion to remove Mkhwebane. Mahumapelo told journalists in Cape Town on Friday 31 January they would not back the DA motion aimed at ousting the public protector. He said the motion would not see the light of day in the national legislature.

“There is no way that the ANC in Parliament will support the motion of the opposition in the form of the DA to remove the public protector. It’s not going to happen,” Mahumapelo reportedly said.

Mahumapelo was the first senior ANC MP to oppose the motion tabled by the DA a few weeks ago, IOL reported.

– African News Agency (ANA), editing by Jacques Keet