Included in one of the three settlement agreements between the ANC IPC and Secretaries of the Free State ANC branches in the High Court on Friday, was the disbandment of the controversial Mangaung Interim Regional Committee (IRC).

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Senior counsel (SC) Dali Mpofu, who represented the ANC irate members, indicated to Judge Corné van Zyl, that the parties agreed that no ANC branch will be dissolved by the ANC’s IPC. The parties have also agreed to develop a road map which is set to prepare and direct them to the next provincial conference around the second week of August this year. The matter was not even argued before Judge Van Zyl.  

The IPC was dragged to High Court on a matter of urgency. Judge Van Zyl, who previously presided over another ANC court case which involved Tumelo Mokoena and Ace Magashule in 2017, asked both parties if they were fine with her sitting in for the matter. She then asked the parties to deliberate on the matter.  

ANC upper structures, including the Provincial Executive Committees (PEC's) and IPCs, were required to hold their provincial conferences in June, in preparation of the national conference in December this year. The IPCs in the Free State and North West have, however, been embroiled in party factional battles recently.

Khoabane previously said the interim structure is in the process of visiting branches to assist them in preparing for their conferences, especially those that are ready, and work on reviving those that are defunct.

In April, the ANC’s National spokesperson, Pule Mabe, said the ANC was set to receive a report on the provinces but they expected provinces to hold a conference between May and June.

However, Khoabane has revealed that the IPC has adopted the road map which must culminate with the provincial conference in September 2022. “The members are expected to renew their membership and ensure that they appear on the branch registers. This will be amplified through the Siveze campaign. The work of uniting and renewing the organisation is continuing without hindrance and we hope that at the time of going to the provincial conference, much would have been achieved,” he added.

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