The party’s interim structure recently held meetings to iron out some of the lingering issues in the party across all structures. 

This media briefing comes a mere few days after the party struck a deal in the Free State High Court with irate and disgruntled branches across the province who wanted the IPC to be disbanded due to its alleged failures. These failures, amongst others, included the failure to prepare and organise a provincial conference within the preferred time. 

Structures of the ANC, including those ran by the Provincial Executive Committees (PECs) and IPCs, were traditionally set to hold these conferences by May or June, however, the Free State failed to do so.

In court, the IPC agreed before judge Corné van Zyl that it will disband the controversial Mangaung Interim Regional Committee (IRC). It also agreed to disband any branch and again agreed that no party should incur costs in the legal battle's outcome.

The IRC was criticised by, among others, the Speaker of the ailing Bloemfontein-based Mangaung Metro's Council, Stefanie Lockman-Naidoo, after it charged her with allegedly defying the structure.

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But one of the applicants, Ditaba Mokhutle, in the case between #ANCvsANC last week Friday, told OFM News that the structure did not even possess any powers to suspend or charge any member as the structure itself was constituted illegally. He said according to the ANC's guiding policies there isn’t such a structure in the organisation.

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Meanwhile, following the court deal, the IPC spokesperson, Oupa Khoabane, said the decision for the ANC to agree to the disbanding of the controversial Mangaung Interim Regional Committee (IRC) was on the cards anyway.

He said the judgment reemphasised the ANC’s constitutional prescripts, which grant the provincial structure the power to establish and disband branches.

"The ANC in the Free State welcomes the judgment in the court case instituted by Mokhutle and others against the continued existence of the Interim Regional Committee. We expect to reconstitute the Interim Regional Committees very soon, as their mandates have lapsed, and ensure that they assist in taking branches to their conferences. We appeal to all members to follow guidelines for the conferences and the ANC Constitution so that we enable all members to participate in processes," Khoabane further adds.

OFM News