“We view this as a flagrant abuse of her office to further divide the ANC and undermine unity of the organisation. Her unbridled arrogance is a betrayal of trust with the ANC – the organisation that deployed her as premier,” said ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa in a statement on Thursday.

Lucas’ Wednesday reshuffle, on the eve of the party’s provincial conference, has further exposed divisions ahead of the ANC’s elective conference in December.

Kodwa referred to a conference resolution calling on members in government to consult structures before making decisions on government appointments. “Our deployees must desist from misusing their deployment to deepen divisions in the ANC.”

President Jacob Zuma was criticised for ignoring the same resolution when he reshuffled his Cabinet in March. The ANC resolution says consultation on decisions is a principle and not a favour. “The prerogative of the president, premiers and mayors to appoint and release members of the Cabinet, executive councils and mayoral committees should be exercised after consultation with the leadership of the organisation,” it reads.

The Northern Cape ANC has been divided ahead of its congress, which has been postponed a number of times, and the party’s provincial secretary Zamani Saul slammed Lucas’ reshuffle. Lucas is Northern Cape ANC treasurer but is at odds with Saul. On Wednesday, he noted the reshuffle with “absolute disgust” and called it “very suspect” ahead of the conference.

“We want to put it on record that the ANC was not consulted and we don’t know anything about this reshuffling,” said Saul. “We also want to put it on record that the reshuffling has got nothing to do with service delivery but has everything to influence the outcome of conference. This is grossly irresponsible, reckless and self-serving.”

Lucas and Saul are both vying for the position of ANC provincial chairperson following Northern Cape strongman John Block’s conviction for fraud and money laundering. The leadership vacuum has led to the election race being marred by allegations of vote rigging at branch and regional level and violent intimidation.

On Tuesday, a group of Northern Cape ANC members protested outside ANC headquarters, Luthuli House. They accused Saul of manipulating branch numbers to benefit his campaign. They argued for the conference to be postponed in the interests of unity. The national ANC has allowed the conference to proceed and Saul has denied the allegations against him.

The party’s fault lines in the province have seen allegiances fall along familiar lines. The ANC Women’s League’s Gail Parker won an MEC posting in the reshuffle, as did the Youth League’s Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba. Lucas also appointed Sandra Beukus and Mxolisi Sokatash as MECs. Saul’s supporters have interpreted it as an attempt to reward Lucas’ supporters ahead of the congress, where it looks as though she will struggle to take the top job.

Cosatu’s provincial leader said Lucas should resign over the reshuffle. “The reshuffling was not based on strengthening cabinet or due to the incompetence of the MECs. Instead it was motivated by selecting cabinet members who are perceived to be loyal to her. The decision was not sanctioned by the alliance partners,” said Anele Gxoyiya. He noted the precedent set by Zuma’s reshuffle and addressing the opening of the conference on Thursday continued to criticise Lucas’ actions.

On Thursday, he added that Lucas’ decision supports factionalism and an obsession with “personality cult”. If she doesn’t tender her resignation by Monday, the ANC should “take appropriate action”, he said. Gxoyiya said he expects delegates to support “appropriate leadership”, which Cosatu views as Saul’s camp. It’s natural for national politics to sift into the provincial domain, he said.

“It always happened like that,” said Gxoyiya. “It’s common cause that any dynamics nationally will always affect all provinces.”

Cosatu and Saul’s camp are seen as supporters of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa at the ANC’s December national conference. Lucas’ reshuffle, which appeared to empower ANC factions that support Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as the next ANC president, had a national impact. It’s not just a fight between provincial factions in the vacuum left by Block, but a battle over who the Northern Cape ANC will support as president.

ANC conferences always bring out divisions within the party. Zuma’s factionalism and recent Cabinet reshuffle have heightened those divisions. Before the ANC’s national events, you can expect the ruling party to continue to fight against itself. In the meantime, questions will continue to be asked about service delivery. DM

Photo: President Jacob Zuma with Northern Cape Premier Sylvia Lucas during the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission (PICC) meeting, 28 March 2017. (Photo: GCIS)