Former Limpopo roads and transport MEC Pinky Kekana flouted the constitution and “abused” her position to “settle political scores” for the benefit of Julius Malema, says Public Protector Thuli Madonsela. According to the protector’s provisional report into the abuse of state power, Kekana had ordered an off-duty traffic officer to arrest Malema’s rival at the chaotic Limpopo elective conference in Makhado two years ago.
Former provincial ANC Youth League deputy secretary, Thandi Moraka, was arrested “unlawfully” on April 10, 2010. This was ostensibly for stealing conference documents even though criminal charges had not been laid against her. Acting on Kekana’s instruction, Takalani Sheriff Tshilongoane had arrested Moraka on the N1 north in Botlokwa, 60km north of Polokwane, Madonsela confirmed. He then drove her car “by force” back to Makhado, where she was briefly detained at the Mphephu police station. The court dismissed Moraka’s case after several appearances, prompting her to lodge a complaint with Madonsela. Titled “State Power-Political Games”, the provisional report said Kekana’s conduct was “improper” and amounted to “maladministration”.
“Kekana’s conduct amounted to maladministration, because she did not just report a crime, but abused her official position as MEC while attending a private, party political event to set state resources in her department in motion to settle a political score,” read part of the provisional report. Kekana has dismissed suggestions that she abused her power as “malicious”.
The arrest came after Moraka had left the politically-charged conference with documents after it degenerated into chaos, with rival supporters threatening, intimidating and swearing at each other. Police had also clashed with supporters of Malema’s arch-rival Lehlogonolo Masoga, firing rubber bullets and spraying them with a water cannon.
Kekana, who had attended the league’s conference in her capacity as Limpopo ANC deputy secretary, is an ally of Malema and Limpopo premier Cassel Mathale.
Source: IoL
Showing posts with label Lehlogonolo Masoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lehlogonolo Masoga. Show all posts
Friday, August 17, 2012
Saturday, September 11, 2010
ANC Fires 'Renegade' Mpumalanga Mayor
The mayor of Mpumalanga's economic powerhouse, Emalahleni (Witbank), has been sacked for breaking party ranks and taking legal action against the ANC. Linah Malatjie is the first mayor to become a casualty of the party's resolution that members who challenge it in court be dismissed.
Last month, African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Gwede Mantashe released a statement declaring that it was a dismissible offence in the ANC to take the party to court "when all the organisational processes have not been exhausted". The dismissal letter sent to Malatjie was personally drafted by Mantashe on August 30.
On Thursday, the ANC in Mpumalanga sent her the letter following her decision to challenge the ANC in court for an internal disciplinary hearing relating to a charge dating back to 2008. “We called her to a disciplinary hearing in 2008 for a number of charges, which included voting with the opposition (Democratic Alliance) in a motion that was raised by the ANC. As our deployee, she had a duty to vote in favour of motions raised by the ANC. Instead, on attending the disciplinary hearing, she challenged the ANC through a court interdict, where she also mentioned that the ANC was divided and had factions in the province,” said Paul Mbenyane, spokesman for the ANC in Mpumalanga. He said it had taken significant time to dismiss Malatjie because the ANC had ensured that all the necessary processes had to be completed. “There are so many processes to be followed before you dismiss a person. We did not want to be dragged through the labour courts for unfair dismissal. We had to follow procedures, which takes time,” he explained.
Mbenyane said Malatjie's ANC membership had also been revoked and that the provincial executive committee would convene an urgent meeting to find a replacement for her.
Emalahleni municipal spokesman Lebo Mofokeng said Malatjie received the dismissal letter on Thursday. “We are obviously shocked, as the municipality, to receive such news," he said. "We are not in a position to comment at the present moment. I can only say that we will wait for the ANC to give us a replacement mayor.” Malatjie was not immediately available for comment on Friday, as her cellphone was off.
DA councillor Koos Venter said Malatjie's sacking was a result of infighting. “Malatjie’s sacking has nothing to do with voting with the opposition or service delivery, but more to do with the fact that she finds herself outside the dominant faction within the ANC. Residents of Emalahleni must realise that the real contest is not a choice between rival factions within the ANC, but rather between a party at war with itself,” he said. He also blamed Malatjie for bringing the municipality to the brink of collapse. “Under her leadership, the community of Emalahleni is faced with ... critical problems on a continual basis," he said.
This, he said, included repeated power outages and chronic water shortages lasting up to five days at a time. The ANC appears to be clamping down on public litigation between its members following the acrimonious showdown between the former Limpopo chairperson of the ANC Youth League, Lehlogonolo Masoga, and the league's current leadership.
Masoga was hauled before the ANCYL's national disciplinary committee for violating its code of conduct after he complained that votes were rigged by league president Julius Malema in favour of Frans Moswane during its Limpopo conference in Louis Trichardt in April. Police had to intervene when violence broke out at the conference. Masoga was charged with insubordination and called to the disciplinary hearing. Instead, he took the matter to the courts, challenging the legitimacy of the hearing. Masoga withdrew the case on July 14 when the ANC intervened and, on July 19, he was expelled from the ANCYL.
Source: Capital
Last month, African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Gwede Mantashe released a statement declaring that it was a dismissible offence in the ANC to take the party to court "when all the organisational processes have not been exhausted". The dismissal letter sent to Malatjie was personally drafted by Mantashe on August 30.
On Thursday, the ANC in Mpumalanga sent her the letter following her decision to challenge the ANC in court for an internal disciplinary hearing relating to a charge dating back to 2008. “We called her to a disciplinary hearing in 2008 for a number of charges, which included voting with the opposition (Democratic Alliance) in a motion that was raised by the ANC. As our deployee, she had a duty to vote in favour of motions raised by the ANC. Instead, on attending the disciplinary hearing, she challenged the ANC through a court interdict, where she also mentioned that the ANC was divided and had factions in the province,” said Paul Mbenyane, spokesman for the ANC in Mpumalanga. He said it had taken significant time to dismiss Malatjie because the ANC had ensured that all the necessary processes had to be completed. “There are so many processes to be followed before you dismiss a person. We did not want to be dragged through the labour courts for unfair dismissal. We had to follow procedures, which takes time,” he explained.
Mbenyane said Malatjie's ANC membership had also been revoked and that the provincial executive committee would convene an urgent meeting to find a replacement for her.
Emalahleni municipal spokesman Lebo Mofokeng said Malatjie received the dismissal letter on Thursday. “We are obviously shocked, as the municipality, to receive such news," he said. "We are not in a position to comment at the present moment. I can only say that we will wait for the ANC to give us a replacement mayor.” Malatjie was not immediately available for comment on Friday, as her cellphone was off.
DA councillor Koos Venter said Malatjie's sacking was a result of infighting. “Malatjie’s sacking has nothing to do with voting with the opposition or service delivery, but more to do with the fact that she finds herself outside the dominant faction within the ANC. Residents of Emalahleni must realise that the real contest is not a choice between rival factions within the ANC, but rather between a party at war with itself,” he said. He also blamed Malatjie for bringing the municipality to the brink of collapse. “Under her leadership, the community of Emalahleni is faced with ... critical problems on a continual basis," he said.
This, he said, included repeated power outages and chronic water shortages lasting up to five days at a time. The ANC appears to be clamping down on public litigation between its members following the acrimonious showdown between the former Limpopo chairperson of the ANC Youth League, Lehlogonolo Masoga, and the league's current leadership.
Masoga was hauled before the ANCYL's national disciplinary committee for violating its code of conduct after he complained that votes were rigged by league president Julius Malema in favour of Frans Moswane during its Limpopo conference in Louis Trichardt in April. Police had to intervene when violence broke out at the conference. Masoga was charged with insubordination and called to the disciplinary hearing. Instead, he took the matter to the courts, challenging the legitimacy of the hearing. Masoga withdrew the case on July 14 when the ANC intervened and, on July 19, he was expelled from the ANCYL.
Source: Capital
Friday, August 6, 2010
Cosatu helps out Malema's rivals
The trade union is allowing a faction opposed to the youth league president to work from its offices A Cosatu leader has admitted that the federation is using its resources to support ANC Youth League president Julius Malema's enemies in the Limpopo youth league.
Dan Sebabi, Cosatu's Limpopo secretary, said in an interview this week Cosatu had decided to allow a faction led by Malema's rival and former youth league provincial chairperson Lehlogonolo Masoga to use Cosatu office space, stationery, telephones and computers to do youth league work. The Masoga-led provincial executive committee was ousted by Malema's faction during the provincial youth league's chaotic conference in Makhado in April.
The ANC office space previously used by Masoga and other former youth league officials is now home to the newly elected leadership, under provincial chairperson Frans Moswane. The Masoga faction, now operating as a parallel structure, does its organisational work from Cosatu offices in Polokwane.
Sebabi said Cosatu felt that housing the Masoga faction was a "revolutionary responsibility to assist comrades within the alliance". "Everyone [within the alliance] has been operating from there [the Cosatu office] for years now. Even the Young Communist League is operating from there. Masoga and other ANCYL leaders operate from our office from time to time because they don't have their own equipment.
They come to us whenever they feel like it. It's like their home. They use our phones. Sometimes they hold meetings there. Our members do not have a problem with that. If I don't raise it as a problem, no one will," said Sebabi.
Eric Hlungwani, the Masoga group spokesperson, denied that they were housed at Cosatu's offices but said they received support from the federation from time to time. "We meet at different labour union offices for our meetings. Our secretary, Goodman Mtileni, is the one who will know better who is helping him. Sometimes it is Nehawu, sometimes it is Cosatu," said Hlungwani.
Masoga said assistance from Cosatu was nothing new in Limpopo as in the past the ANC had itself been "largely dependent on Cosatu facilities". But Jacob Lebogo, the youth league provincial secretary, said the league had never previously used Cosatu's offices. "They [Cosatu] have taken their own faction. There are people who are not allowed to enter the Cosatu building," Lebogo said. Masoga and his followers insist that they remain legitimate youth league leaders in the province. He was recently expelled from the league for bringing the organisation into disrepute by making public statements in which he accused Malema's faction of hijacking the provincial conference. Masoga, said to be a close ally of Malema's deputy, Andile Lungisa, is also challenging his dismissal in court.
Some league leaders claim that Cosatu has been bankrolling Masoga's legal fees, estimated to be more than R700 000, but Masoga and Sebabi reject the claim. Masoga is using a law firm, Cuzen Randeree, previously used by Cosatu, but Zain Randeree said he could not respond on the firm's relationship with clients as that was confidential.
Cosatu's national spokesperson, Patrick Craven, confirmed that the federation had used Cuzen Randeree, but "only once". He also denied that Cosatu was bankrolling any youth league faction. "Cosatu frequently offers the use of its office facilities to members of alliance structures," he said.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Dan Sebabi, Cosatu's Limpopo secretary, said in an interview this week Cosatu had decided to allow a faction led by Malema's rival and former youth league provincial chairperson Lehlogonolo Masoga to use Cosatu office space, stationery, telephones and computers to do youth league work. The Masoga-led provincial executive committee was ousted by Malema's faction during the provincial youth league's chaotic conference in Makhado in April.
The ANC office space previously used by Masoga and other former youth league officials is now home to the newly elected leadership, under provincial chairperson Frans Moswane. The Masoga faction, now operating as a parallel structure, does its organisational work from Cosatu offices in Polokwane.
Sebabi said Cosatu felt that housing the Masoga faction was a "revolutionary responsibility to assist comrades within the alliance". "Everyone [within the alliance] has been operating from there [the Cosatu office] for years now. Even the Young Communist League is operating from there. Masoga and other ANCYL leaders operate from our office from time to time because they don't have their own equipment.
They come to us whenever they feel like it. It's like their home. They use our phones. Sometimes they hold meetings there. Our members do not have a problem with that. If I don't raise it as a problem, no one will," said Sebabi.
Eric Hlungwani, the Masoga group spokesperson, denied that they were housed at Cosatu's offices but said they received support from the federation from time to time. "We meet at different labour union offices for our meetings. Our secretary, Goodman Mtileni, is the one who will know better who is helping him. Sometimes it is Nehawu, sometimes it is Cosatu," said Hlungwani.
Masoga said assistance from Cosatu was nothing new in Limpopo as in the past the ANC had itself been "largely dependent on Cosatu facilities". But Jacob Lebogo, the youth league provincial secretary, said the league had never previously used Cosatu's offices. "They [Cosatu] have taken their own faction. There are people who are not allowed to enter the Cosatu building," Lebogo said. Masoga and his followers insist that they remain legitimate youth league leaders in the province. He was recently expelled from the league for bringing the organisation into disrepute by making public statements in which he accused Malema's faction of hijacking the provincial conference. Masoga, said to be a close ally of Malema's deputy, Andile Lungisa, is also challenging his dismissal in court.
Some league leaders claim that Cosatu has been bankrolling Masoga's legal fees, estimated to be more than R700 000, but Masoga and Sebabi reject the claim. Masoga is using a law firm, Cuzen Randeree, previously used by Cosatu, but Zain Randeree said he could not respond on the firm's relationship with clients as that was confidential.
Cosatu's national spokesperson, Patrick Craven, confirmed that the federation had used Cuzen Randeree, but "only once". He also denied that Cosatu was bankrolling any youth league faction. "Cosatu frequently offers the use of its office facilities to members of alliance structures," he said.
Source: Mail & Guardian
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