Motlanthe committee takes over handling of ANC Eastern Cape disputes

The ANC’s election committee, chaired by former president Kgalema Motlanthe, has stepped in to manage disputes arising from party processes in the Eastern Cape. According to The Citizen, the committee has instructed members to lodge disputes and appeals directly with it and given aggrieved members 48 hours to do so.

Change to dispute route

According to The Citizen, Motlanthe has issued revised instructions to all party structures in the province directing that all disputes and appeals must be lodged directly with his committee, with immediate effect, rather than with the NDRC. The move effectively displaces the national dispute resolution committee (NDRC) from overseeing these matters in the province.

How to lodge appeals

According to The Citizen, the Motlanthe committee gave the aggrieved members in the Eastern Cape 48 hours to lodge their disputes and appeals, which must be addressed directly to Motlanthe himself and sent through the committee secretary, Chief Livhuwani Matsila.

Reasons and concerns

According to The Citizen, the NDRC would no longer handle the process, but did not give the reasons for this action. The Citizen also reports that some ANC branches in the Eastern Cape do not trust the NDRC and the provincial structures to handle the process fairly, due to Luthuli House’s direct involvement causing dissatisfaction among members in the province.

Background on previous process

Before the Motlanthe committee intervention, disputes were lodged with the provincial list committee (PLC), while the provincial dispute resolution structures were said to be compromised and delaying matters submitted to it, The Citizen reports.

Committee role

According to The Citizen, the committee, which enjoys some autonomy from the party, was responsible for drafting the ANC guidelines governing the holding of party branch general meetings (BGMs), branch biennial meetings and provincial and national conferences.

What happens next

Members in the Eastern Cape now have a short window to submit their disputes to the Motlanthe committee as instructed. The committee’s takeover of the appeals process shifts responsibility away from the NDRC and provincial structures while the party moves to process complaints related to recent internal events.