Cosatu, SACP in Mpumalanga unhappy with Premier nomination process

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The South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in Mpumalanga have expressed dissatisfaction with the way the African National Congress (ANC) in the province has nominated three people for the position of Premier.

It is reported that the extended ANC Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) met on Monday where delegates voted for their preferred candidates.

This comes after the ANC in the province obtained 51% of votes during the recent general elections.

In a letter written by Cosatu and the SACP to the ANC National Electoral Committee, the meeting was said to have been chaotic and factional.

Officials raised concerns with the manner in which the names were chosen, before walking out of the meeting.

It is reported voting was conducted and provincial ANC chairperson Mandla Ndlovu obtained 44 votes.

The provincial Women’s League Convener, Cathy Dlamini, got 40 votes, with 35 votes for Gert Sibande’s District Secretary Lindi Masina and incumbent Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane with 10 votes.

Cosatu Secretary in Mpumalanga, Thabo Mokoena, says according to the guidelines, Mtsweni-Tsipane’s name should have been included without being voted for.

ANC Secretary in Mpumalanga, Muzi Chirwa, believes that proper procedures were followed during the nomination process. He says Mtsweni-Tsipane’s name is among the three recommended candidates, despite obtaining fewer votes.

The two ANC alliance partners have called on the party’s national leaders to review the process.

They claim that the matter has the potential of entrenching divisions and instability.

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