MAKHANDA, Eastern Cape – The Makhanda High Court has issued an interim interdict nullifying the ANC Eastern Cape Provincial Task Team, leaving the region’s leadership structure in limbo just months before the November 4 elections. The ruling halts the 40-member body from operating as a formal structure while a legal challenge regarding its establishment is finalized.
The urgent application was brought forward by disgruntled party members who argue that the dissolution of the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) and the subsequent appointment of the task team were not executed through proper, legal, or professional processes.
Yanga Zicina, spokesperson for the ANC in the Eastern Cape, confirmed that the judgment was handed down today after being previously reserved by the bench. He explained that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) had initially appointed the interim structure to steer the organization only after the PEC’s official term of office had lapsed.
According to Zicina, the current legal challenge stems from the same faction of members who previously approached the court in March to block a scheduled provincial conference, arguing at the time that the gathering was premature.
Highlighting the paradoxical nature of the legal maneuvers, Zicina described the court’s interim ruling as irrational. “How do you say on one end a term of office for the provincial executive committee is four years… when the term lapses they then again run to the same court and say no, you can’t put any interim structure,” Zicina stated.
The spokesperson noted that while the ANC respects the judiciary, the party feels “done down” by the judgment. The NEC is currently studying the ruling and will seek comprehensive legal advice to determine the appropriate cause of action. Zicina emphasized that the current ruling is strictly an interim order, which will be determined to finality at a later date set by the court.
The immediate consequence of the interdict is a complete leadership vacuum in the province; with the PEC’s term officially expired and the newly appointed task team legally suspended, the ANC in the Eastern Cape is currently left without a recognized provincial leadership structure.
Despite the administrative paralysis, the party insists that its electoral machinery remains fully operational. The Provincial Task Team (PT) Coordinator dismissed concerns that the internal legal battles would derail their campaign momentum, describing the road ahead as challenging but manageable.
Pointing to recent electoral successes, the PT Coordinator highlighted a significant victory in the Buffalo City municipality. In a recent by-election, the party secured Wards 1 and 10, achieving a massive 10% increase in voter support compared to the previous election.
“The people of South Africa still have confidence in the African National Congress,” the PT Coordinator stated, pushing back against narratives that internal disputes and defections would cause the party to collapse. “The people of the Eastern Cape demonstrated overwhelmingly… regardless of which face is there at a particular point in time.”
The coordinator confirmed that a robust grassroots campaign program is already being driven across the province. While the party will strictly avoid acting in contempt of court, they maintain that campaigning will not cease. The NEC will be advised on the legal way forward, but the party remains steadfast that the upcoming November 4 elections will serve as a definitive turning point to prove the ANC remains the true home of the South African people.