NUMSA - SAMWU and SANCO demand probe on the allegations of involvement of certain ANC leaders in the holding hostage of NMBM Executives, August 19 2012

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) and the SA National Civic Organisation (SANCO) are deeply disturbed by the alleged kidnapping of senior ANC councillors in the Nelson Mandela Metro Bay Municipality, namely: Mayor Wayile Zanoxolo, Speaker Maria Hermans, Chief Whip Feziwe Sibeko by a mob of so-called ANC branches or supporters at the ANC Region premises in Port Elizabeth, Florence Matomela House, last Monday 13 August 2012.

We fully support the call made by COSATU Vuyisile Mini Local, through its Local Secretary Comrade Andile Bloko, that all those involved must be disciplined by the ANC. The ANC will not survive for long if this kind of thuggery and hooliganism is allowed to take root in the organisation.

We firmly believe that this strategic Metro, named after our revolutionary icon and colossus of our democracy Comrade Nelson Mandela, has become a leading contender, among all Metros in the country, for an Olympic Medal for anarchy and chaos inside the ANC in the Region and so called service delivery protests among working class and poor communities.

We are convinced that this Metro continues to make headlines and occupy front pages of newspapers for all the wrong reasons, because certain ANC leaders want to lay their dirty hands on the till, as opposed to serving our people and communities as demonstrated by comrade Nelson Mandela.

A planned meeting between the ANC officials and the Metro's Troika (namely Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Speaker of the Metro), also attended by two ANC NEC members comrades Derek Hanekom and Fikile Xhasa, was "invaded" by so-called disgruntled Branches or members of the ANC in the Metro.

We are no fools, we are clearly aware that these so-called Branches or members of the ANC were organised or bussed-in to disturb the meeting by calling for the resignations of the Executives of the Metro, particularly Mayor Wayile Zanoxolo.

The ANC Regional leadership collective, particularly the ANC Regional Chairperson comrade Nceba Faku owes the ANC-led Alliance an explanation, on the criminal, alien and hostile behaviour of the Regional Executive Committee (REC) towards the ANC deployees in the Metro, the well-calculated and managed mobilisation of grassroots' structures against the Executives of the Metro, public utterances of certain leaders that the Executive of the Metro must be removed.

These latest events should not be de-linked from the hostile or reactionary posture that has been assumed by certain elements in the ANCYL Regional leadership, closely associated with certain powerful individual leaders in the Region, particularly ANC Regional Chairperson Nceba Faku, who have made it their daily bread to launch an offensive against the ANC-led Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.

This offensive against the Executives of the Metro has been happening under the eyes and loud silence of the ANC Provincial leadership. These attacks against the Executives of the Metro have nothing do with meeting the electoral commitments of the ANC-led Alliance, but more to do with opening the door to the looting of public funds for private enrichment.

NUMSA, SAMWU and SANCO agrees with COSATU's determination to campaign for a change in mindset to rid the movement of rogue-elements and all those who want to use the ANC, including local government, to line their pockets. This problem was well captured in the ANC's Organisational Renewal discussion paper, presented during the ANC Policy Conference in Gallagher, which said; "the neo-liberal ideological paradigm has also hugely eroded the core values of selflessness, integrity, solidarity and genuine comradeship. The selfish pursuit of self-interest and factional interest are now placed above the interests of the entire organisation and the people as a whole".

We strongly believe that these tensions are a manifestation or a product of the outcomes of the chaotic ANC Regional Conference, where comrade Nceba Faku hastily re-installed himself as the Chairperson of the Region, and now he is in a hurry to capture the economic resources of the Metro for himself and those anti working class elements in the movement who would like to see the working class gains of Polokwane reversed. We are, therefore, not surprised that soon after he secured the chairpersonship of the Metro in the chaotic regional conference, he immediately set about to attempt to secure the Metro for his political allies at national level. 

For comrade Nceba Faku as the political head of the ANC to be divisive and factional in dealing with political and organisational challenges of the ANC in the Metro can only serve to destroy the political credibility of the ANC, including public confidence in the ANC by the electorate. The ANC in the Metro should not be used as a vehicle or cartel to dispense political patronage or buy loyalties of certain individuals; the ANC's historical mandate has always and continues to be to serve the interests of the people of South Africa, especially the historically oppressed Black majority.

Our structure, NUMSA Eastern Cape Region, including COSATU, had earlier this year raised fingers on what appeared to be a purge of those who had contested for positions during the chaotic Regional Conference.

NUMSA, SAMWU and SANCO will approach COSATU, as an ally of the ANC, to demand an Alliance sanctioned and thorough investigation to establish whether the REC of the ANC was not involved in organising the members or Branches that invaded the meeting; including allegation that a senior REC member of the ANC was instrumental in orchestrating the kidnapping or holding hostage of the deployees, including the two ANC NEC members comrade(s) Derek Hanekom and Fikile Xhasa; the alleged poisonous utterances by the ANC Regional Chairperson that ANC national intervention was taking too long, which we view as divisive and immature from a leader that is supposed to be playing a unifying role in the Region.

We call on the ANC-led Alliance to provide leadership by taking ownership of the Metro. The failure by the ANC-led Alliance to heed this call will soon lead to the ANC occupying opposition benches in the Council Chambers in the most important economic region of the Eastern Cape.

Our victory during the last Local Government elections in this particular Metro was not smooth sailing; We won by an extremely low margin. Our two ideological opponents were so close to capturing the Metro.

Statement issued by Phumzile Nodongwe, NUMSA Eastern Cape Regional Secretary, August 19 2012

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