ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa
The African National Congress National Working Committee led by President Cyril Ramaphosa will tomorrow, Saturday 15 April, blitz the Limpopo province on a monitoring and evaluation exercise on the state of service delivery to the people by the party governed province, including the state of the organisation ahead of the crucial 2024 national and provincial elections.
Kicking off on Saturday and concluding in Johannesburg on Tuesday, the programme of the ANC National Working Committee involves engagements with Traditional Leaders, business fraternities, faith-based groups, structures of the party, and the general public.
The national leadership, accompanied by their provincial and regional counterparts will make courtesy visits to Senior Traditional Leaders to pay homage and give respect to them ahead of meeting communities and structures in the province.
Courtesy visits to Traditional Leaders come in the wake of the Economic Freedom Fighters leader, Julius Malema, celebrating his birthday with the Bapedi Queen Hlapogadi ‘a Hlabirwa, and the visit to the Balobedu Kingdom by the party provincial leaders. These coup strokes by the EFF to the two monarchies, saw a hurried visit to the Balobedu Kingdom by an ANC delegation led by the Provincial Secretary Ruben Madadzhe and his deputy and MEC of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs Basikopo Makamu.
Engagements extend to communities on the incessant electricity crisis and the high cost of living and service delivery. In the local media will be engaged to enable a greater reach to the society to unpack and give progress reports on the electricity crisis, unemployment, poverty and inequality.
Sunday is devoted to the attendance of full church services in the five districts of the province. National Working Committee members deployed for the Norman Mashabane, led by the second deputy secretary general Maropene Ramokgopa, are Sibongile Besani, Enoch Godongwana, Nonceba Mhlauli and Mamoloko khensani Kubayi.
After the church services, the ANC National Officials descend on Polokwane for a meeting with all Traditional Leaders in the province. The engagement with Traditional Leaders focuses on rebuilding precious historic relationships to address challenges facing the sector, and collaborating on fighting social ills in society.
The programme concludes with the NWC meeting with the PEC, to report back on regional engagements, establishing interventions necessary to accelerate the pace on the rebuilding and renewal of the movement, and programmes of accelerating service delivery and to ensure good governance, and building capacity for state institutions.
On Monday the ANC National Officials sits for its ordinary weekly meeting, followed by the NWC to process amongst others the report from the engagement with the Limpopo province, for decision making and intervention where necessary.
On Tuesday morning the public is briefed on the Limpopo visit and its outcomes through a media briefing at the party head office.
The NWC visit to the Limpopo province has been met with mixed feelings, with the rumour mill going over drive on what to expect from it. Others look at it with fear and trepidation that the PEC may be disbanded and Premier Mathabatha recalled. The recall of Mathabatha will translate in the automatic dissolution of his Executive Council. Another faction is salivating at the prospects of the being given the provincial executive committee and the cabinet on a silver platter by the NWC, after their failed bid for power at the last provincial conference.
The official narrative is that the NWC is on a routine visit to support the province and government in their work. The Monday meetings and the media briefing will put to rest the swirl of rumours engulfing the province ahead of the weekend visit by the NEC.