Staff Reporter
The convenor of the ANC Free State Interim Provincial Committee (IPC), Mxolisi Dukwana, has sounded a strong warning against party and government officials involved in illicit activities saying they want to clean up the system and make it more efficient.
He said this when he addressed a media briefing on the first IPC meeting held on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“The time of doing things with impunity is over,” said Dukwana.
“It ends today. Moving forward, we will ensure that we do things right,” he added.
Dukwana said the IPC had taken this position because it wants to deal conclusively with corruption and other vices both in the party and in government.
He said people in most parts of the province have been deprived of basic services for some time because some of those charged with that responsibility were failing to deliver.
“Dealing with corruption demands commitment, political will and decisiveness and this is what we will be demonstrating moving forward . . . in dealing with all the rogue elements that will be found in our structures as well as in government, both in the provincial government as well as in municipalities,” said Dukwana.
“We will ensure that necessary processes that are efficient, time saving and taking decisions are followed to the letter and rid the public service of all the wrong elements.”
He implored residents of the province to rally behind the IPC as they “seek to build a stronger ANC that belongs to and serves the people”.
“We are aware of many other things that are happening in government, especially in our municipalities and it is our resolve as the IPC to ensure that we run a clean government in all the spheres where the ANC is in control,” said Dukwana.
He said the IPC also resolved to appeal the expulsion of some councillors in Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality saying it is crucial for uniting the party.
Known as the Maluti-a-Phofung 16 or MAP16, the councillors were expelled from the party in 2019 after they were accused of working with the opposition in council.
The decision however soon backfired against the ANC as it went on to lose 10 wards in a by-election, leaving them with only five.
“We came to a conclusion as the IPC that it will be in the best interest of the process of uniting the organisation in the province as well as . . . the community of Maluti-a-Phofung for the ANC to engage the National Executive Committee in looking afresh into this matter,” he said.
“We are looking at inviting them to rejoin the ANC. We will be engaging them,” said Dukwana.
“We understand that all of them are members of the ANC, trained, developed and nurtured in the ANC.
“Their hope is the ANC that is serving the people, an ANC that is corruption-free.”
ANC provincial coordinator Paseka Nompondo said the IPC has a lifespan of nine months within which it is expected to prepare the province to go to an elective conference.
“The IPC will assess the state of branches whether they have proper valid membership and after a proper assessment . . . we will go to the provincial conference. Out of five regions, three are ready to hold their regional conferences,” he said.
Deputy convener Sisi Ntombela, who is also the premier, said it was time for the people of the Free State to heal and start working together for the good of the province.
“I am definitely sure . . . that our people in the Free State are really tired of divisions,” she said.
“We have realised that divisions are taking us nowhere. It’s about time that we come together and be united and serve our people.”