More turmoil in Western Cape ANC, now over Cape Town council appointment

Against the backdrop of a poor showing at the polls, history is repeating itself as factional squabbles are again dividing the ANC in the Western Cape barely a year after constituting its provincial structures.

The Dullah Omar region, the ANC’s biggest in terms of membership in the province, is embroiled in a dispute with the party’s provincial leadership over the appointment of a new proportional representation (PR) councillor for the City of Cape Town. This has sparked allegations of political manipulation and threats of legal action.

In terms of votes, the Western Cape is the ANC’s weakest province and when the new leadership was elected in June last year, it insisted it was up to the task of uniting the party while at the same time improving the party’s fortunes in elections. 

In May’s general elections, the party continued losing support in the province, winning 19.55% (eight seats in the legislature) of the vote, down from the 28.63% (12 seats) achieved in 2019. 

Region vs province

The Dullah Omar regional executive committee (REC) has expressed its dissatisfaction with the provincial leadership’s handling of the councillor appointment. 

The REC had proposed the deployment of their newly elected chairperson Ndithini Tyhido to fill the vacancy left by Thandi Makasi, who has moved to the National Assembly.

The REC, elected in August 2023, has been active in mobilising communities and campaigning to regain support in Cape Town. With Makasi’s departure creating a vacancy, the REC saw an opportunity to strengthen its influence in the city council by appointing Tyhido.

In a letter to the ANC’s provincial secretary, the REC outlined its reasons for Tyhido’s appointment, emphasising the need for political alignment between the council caucus and the regional structure.

However, provincial secretary Neville Delport has reportedly ignored this decision. According to the REC, the provincial leadership’s refusal to accept Tyhido’s appointment is a deliberate attempt to undermine the region’s autonomy and exercise undue influence over local appointments.

“This is done simply to undermine the region and dispense patronage disguised as accommodating the alliance,” said regional secretary Mvusi Mdala. 

“This is a ploy to divide the alliance in the region and undermine its constitutionally guaranteed powers.”

The REC has accused Delport of engaging in “political thuggery” and manipulating organisational processes for factional purposes, which they argue contradicts the ANC’s renewal programme aimed at addressing internal divisions and patronage politics.

The regional leadership also claims there are plans to suspend Mdala in retaliation for opposing these “manipulative tactics”. Mdala’s alleged impending suspension is viewed by the REC as a further attempt to destabilise its operations.

Determined to defend its decision and regional autonomy, the Dullah Omar region says it will exhaust all internal remedies within the party, but has also indicated a readiness to take legal action.

“We reserve our right to pursue relief legally. Our lawyers stand ready to file papers to interdict the impending suspension of our regional secretary and continue to fight for the confirmation of the regional chairperson as a PR councillor,” said Mdala. 

Read more in Daily Maverick: New ANC leadership in Western Cape struggles to shake off internal challenges that hobble its growth

This internal conflict comes at a critical time as the party prepares for local government elections in 2025. The outcome of this dispute could significantly affect the ANC’s ability to consolidate support and effectively mobilise in the Cape Town metro.

The ANC Women’s League in the Dullah Omar region has thrown its support behind Tyhido, seconding his appointment to the vacant seat.

“In the interest of unity, we request a cordial working relationship between the provincial leadership and the regional leadership,” said Sindiswa Masumpa, regional secretary of ANC Women’s League.

“This collaboration is crucial in ensuring the execution of the mandate they carry from both executive structures and the masses they lead.” 

‘Keep it in-house’

Responding to questions about the recent spat, ANC provincial spokesperson Khalid Sayed said the provincial executive committee believed it was not within the culture of the ANC to engage in public spats on internal matters. 

“The provincial secretary implements the decisions of the collective,” he told Daily Maverick.

“We take strong exception to the region engaging publicly in this manner. The current sociopolitical climate demands we instil confidence amongst the public that we are serious about addressing issues which are much more pertinent than petty internal squabbles.” 

When contacted for comment, Delport referred questions to Sayed.

Shortly before the elections, Daily Maverick reported that ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa revealed that the party had decided to make Khalid Sayed the ANC’s Western Cape premier candidate. However, this was met with strong objections and secretary-general Fikile Mbalula abandoned plans to announce a candidate for the provincial premiership.

Sayed was eventually made the leader of the opposition in the legislature after the elections. 

Factional fights in the ANC Western Cape date back to 2007 when then premier Ebrahim Rasool was removed before his term ended. Rasool was recalled following the watershed 2007 Polokwane conference where Jacob Zuma was elected to lead the organisation. Allegations surfaced in 2005 that Rasool had been colluding with journalists who wrote favourable articles about him — which played a part in his removal.

The years that followed were marked by unstable leadership. It was only last year that the ANC’s leagues managed to form proper structures. DM

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