SGB elections not ANC branch meetings
6 April 2021
Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbites in English & Afrikaans from Priscilla Isaacs, MPL.
Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape requested an investigation by the Public Service Commission into the alleged political interference by high-ranking ANC officials into the current round of school governing body (SGB) elections in the Northern Cape.
This comes after I received screenshots of a recent conversation held on an ANC WhatsApp group.
The first message is sent from the official number of the ANC’s provincial secretary, Deshi Ngxanga. It tells the MEC for Education, Zolile Monakali, that “our branches are not ready for the SGBs” and asks him to “please get a way to delay them a bit”. In response, the MEC for Education asks which regions are affected and the reply from Mr. Ngxanga is that “in the whole province, the opposition will win these SGBs and we won’t be able to influence how our schools are managed”.