THE SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) has come down hard on the ANC for temporarily suspending the membership of Premier Job Mokgoro and four other members of the legislature.
In a statement, provincial secretary Sibongile Mulauzi said they were disappointed with the suspension of Premier Job Mokgoro, Priscilla Williams, Aaron Motswana, Bitsa Lenkopane and Job Dliso for allegedly defying the ANC's orders.
"The reasons given by the IPC (interim provincial committee) co-ordinator, comrade Hlomani Chauke, smacks of factionalism and confirmation of a long-standing desire to remove comrades from their positions and replace them with their cronies," Mulaudzi said.
"Sanco believes that Premier Job Mokgoro has made strides in stabilising the provincial government since his appointment, and the move by the IPC to suspend his membership of the ANC is an attempt to derail him from doing his job."
Chauke announced on Sunday that Mokgoro and four other ANC members of the provincial legislature had been suspended for defying the party's directive in the election of the chair of chairs, that the election should be conducted through an open ballot and the preferred candidate was identified.
"In an act of open defiance, five ANC members collaborated with the opposition to defeat the mandate of the party by voting through a show of hands in favour of the secret ballot.
"The election of the chair of chairs was carried through a secret ballot and the opposition nominated and seconded the name of comrade Priscilla Williams as chair of chairs, who accepted the nomination. Comrade Priscilla Williams, who was not the party preference, was elected as chair of chairs of the North West Provincial Legislature," Chauke said.
He said the interim provincial working committee (IPWC) resolved to invoke Rule 25.56 of the ANC Constitution and temporarily suspend the membership of all five members “who defied the mandate of the ANC”.
The temporary suspensions were expected to be in force until the finalisation of the disciplinary proceedings against the five members.
Chauke said the party would deal decisively with ill discipline.
The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) in the Ngaka Modiri Molema region said the "suspensions" were not only unfortunate, but they had a serious negative impact on the image of the ANC
"As the ANCYL in the Ngaka Modiri Molema region, we call on Premier Job Mokgoro to continue doing his work diligently as he has been doing. We are in the middle of a Covid-19 pandemic that requires total attention from the premier as head of government in the province," said regional secretary Wessels Morweng.
They further called on Lenkopane, Dliso, Williams and Motswana to reject the suspensions.
Mokgoro addressed a media conference yesterday, about the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine in the province, in defiance of his suspension.
African News Agency (ANA)