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Provincial Briefs

Compiled by Khensani Makhubela for Mayibuye, Vol. 6, no. 3
July 1995

After the ANC restructured itself into provinces at the December 1994 National Conference, provinces were given the task of dividing their areas into regions and establishing regional structures. In this Mayibuye we assess progress in some of the provinces.

North West

The North West province has restructured its regions. It is now divided into twelve regions, namely Atamelang, Mankwe, Madikwe, Mafikeng, Klerksdorp, Kuruman, Odi/Moretele, Rustenburg, Schweizer-Reneke, Taung, Vryburg and Zeerust/Lehurutshe. The personnel in each region consists of the administrator and the organiser.

There is a programme to launch and elect Regional Executive Committees (RECs) by the end of July. There will be regional conferences on the 1-2 July.

The province has launched 300 branches throughout the province and there are about 290 unlaunched branches. There is a programme to launch all of these by the end of October 1995.

In each region members of the PEC, members of the provincial government and members of the national assembly are deployed to assist with the launching of branches, elections campaigning, political education and general organisational work.

KwaZulu/Natal

Through the recommendations of the inter-regional summit held in July 1994, the three former regions of Natal - led by their secretaries - met and agreed to come together and form one province. In the beginning of this year, the PEC met and decided that KwaZulu/Natal province be divided into ten regions, namely Greater Mkuze, Greater Empangeni, Greater Newcastle, Durban North, Durban West, Greater Pietermaritzburg, Klipriver, Durban South and Griqualand.

The regions have deployed PEC members, MPs, MPLs, TLC councillors and other activists from local branches. The regional offices of the ten regions are at Mkuze, Empangeni, Newcastle, Verulam, Pinetown, Pietermaritzburg, Estcourt, Isipingo, Port Shepstone and Ixopo.

The deadline for launching the ten regions is August 1995. Branches would also have to have been launched by then.

Free State

The Orange Free state province consists of ten regions: Qwaqwa, Thaba-Nchu, Botshabelo, Bethlehem, Ficksburg, Harrismith, Sasolburg, Smithburg, Goldfield and Bloemfontein. Out of the ten regions only three have held regional conferences.

The regional organisers are ex-officio in their different regions. The seven regions that haven't launched are expected to do so before the end of July.

Eastern Cape

At the December 1994 national conference the Eastern Cape motivated for 13 regions as opposed to the 10 which had been originally proposed. The motivation was based on the vastness and rural nature of the province.

The regions are Albany, East London/King William's Town, Alice, Engcobo, Aliwal North, Kokstad, Butterworth, Lukisiki, Midlands-Karoo, Tsitsikamma, Port Elizabeth, Queenstown and Umtata.

The 13 regions are now in full operation, each with an office which employs a full time organiser and administrator. MPs and MPLs have been given ex-officio status in the RECs where they are deployed. Regional chairpersons and secretaries are ex-officio members of the PEC. PEC members are also deployed to the 13 regions. Regional elections teams have been established in all regions.

Gauteng

The Gauteng province is divided into eight regions. The regions are Soweto, Pretoria, Vaal, Johannesburg, Johannesburg/Lenz/Ennerdale, East Rand, West Rand and North East Rand.

Each region has an administrator and an organiser. The regions have deployed the PEC members, MPs, MPLs and TLCs.

The province is in the middle of launching its branches. There is a programme to have all the unlaunched branches launched by the end of August.