Why ANC Lost Metsimaholo

• Saboteurs behind party’s poor election showing
• Probe to identify those who betrayed ANC

The ANC lost control of Metsimaholo municipality not so much because the opposition was more popular but because of sabotage by some of its cadres who worked against the party in last month’s local elections, The Weekly has learnt.

Unhappy that they were not going to retain their positions as councillors and MMCs after failing to make it onto the ANC’s list of candidates for the August 3 polls, some members are said to have opted to campaign against the party, aiding the opposition in the process.

A team led by ANC provincial boss Ace Magashule that had planned to carry out a door-to-door campaign in Metsimaholo last weekend to find out from voters why they withheld support from the party called off the exercise after being told by some members there that the party was betrayed by its own.

“Allegations from some of the members are that those members who knew they were not going to be retain their positions in the council decided to campaign against the party.

“This includes those who did not emerge victorious during the election of candidates for ward councillors,” ANC provincial secretary William Bulwane said.

He did not give further details as to who or how many ANC cadres campaigned against the party or which of the opposition formations they worked with, saying full details would emerge out of an investigation into the matter that the party is carrying out.

The secretary was quick to point out that the ANC was not going to engage in a witch-hunt. But he said the party was taking the allegations seriously and was going to thoroughly probe the matter to get a clear understanding of who was behind the alleged sabotage and how the whole thing happened.

The door-to-door or listening campaign as it is known within ANC circles had been called off to first allow for the investigation into the claims that members driven by selfish ambition worked against the party’s campaign in Metsimaholo.

The members that made the allegations have been asked to submit the charges in writing complete with evidence to enable the leadership to conduct a proper inquiry.

“This is a serious matter; one that cannot be ignored or taken lightly … we’ve requested that detailed reports be submitted along with evidence,” Bulwane said.

He added: “It (the investigation) has the potential to give us a clear picture as to what transpired in that specific municipality which, to our surprise, we lost.”

He would not be drawn to say what punishment awaits those that the inquiry will show to have assisted the opposition by campaigning against the ANC, saying the fate of saboteurs, if any are found, rests with the leadership collective.

“First we investigate, and then a collective decision is taken about what should be done to those members found by the investigation to be guilty of the charges,” the secretary said.
“If you say Bulwane campaigned against the ANC and that’s the reason why we lost the municipality, you need to give us proof,” he added, emphasising the party leadership can only act on the basis of proven fact not rumour or unconfirmed allegations.

The ANC conducted one of the most democratic processes to choose candidates for the local government elections in which ordinary members of the party had final say on who would stand as candidate in their ward.

Under the system meant to foster democracy within the ANC and meet recommendations by the party’s national general council last year to ensure that only the best people represented it in the local elections, the leadership of branches were asked to select four potential candidates per ward.

The names were then taken to grassroots members in the respective ward for them to make their pick of who they wanted as candidate.

After the community screening phase the list was then sent to the regional committee, then a provincial committee, before finally ending up at the national list conference.

The party leadership was bound to confirm the choice of the people unless there were compelling reasons to withhold approval such as someone being a criminal.

But the innovative selection process also saw some sitting councillors failing to make it on to the party candidate list, rejected by the members.

And some of those rejected by branches failed to accept the rebuff, responding by either standing as independents, crossing the floor to join the opposition or — as is being alleged in Metsimaholo — simply decided to sabotage the ANC from within.

A senior leader of the ANC from the party’s Fezile Dabi region, which includes Metsimaholo, said members that campaigned against the party in the municipality did so surreptitiously but there was enough evidence to prove the case against them.

“They did so because they knew very well that they were no longer going to be MMCs under the new leadership,” said the regional leader, who did not want to be named because he did not have permission from the party to speak to the media on the issue.

He added: “This was their way of revenge against the leadership because they were going to be removed from their comfort zone, and sufficient evidence will be provided to the leadership because the reality is that these so called members are destroying the party from within like a cancer, and this is something that cannot be tolerated.”

Metsimaholo is the only municipality out of the Free State’s 24 local governments that is not in ANC hands.

The ruling party won the most votes in Metsimaholo to garner 19 out of the municipality’s total 42 seats. The DA got 12 seats and the EFF grabbed eight.

The Freedom Front Plus got one seat and the Metsimaholo Civic Organisation got two seats. The opposition parties then ganged up together to oust the ANC.