This is according to a political analyst, Theo Venter, who tells OFM News the rejection of Mahumapelo sends a strong and stern message to the ANC that he is on a comeback campaign. Mahumapelo has declined an appointment to the PTT and was quoted by media reports as saying he would not be part of the purge currently underway in the ruling party. The task team was set up by Luthuli House to run the ANC in the province until after next year’s national elections. Venter says if Mahumapelo had accepted his inclusion in the PTT it would have sidelined him from a making a strong comeback as he did previously.

“The political decision-makers said ‘let’s keep the man busy in the task team [rather] than leaving him out because if they leave him out he will do exactly what he did in 2009, 2010 and 2011, which is mobilising outside of the formal structures and come back as a stronger participant. That was the fear, so this fear is now going to become a reality because he declined a seat on the PTT,” says Venter.

Last week the South Gauteng High Court set the 16th of this month as the court date, after granting disgruntled party members from four regions in the province a right to present their case in court.

ANC members applied for litigation against the party over the recent disbandment of the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) by the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

Meanwhile, North West’s PTT spokesperson, Kabelo Mataboge, told OFM News that the ANC in the province was shocked and disappointed following the High Court’s decision to grant disgruntled party members the right to present their case in court.

OFM News/Lucky Nkuyane