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The African National Congress (ANC) has strongly refuted claims made in a recent Sunday Times article regarding the National Working Committee’s (NWC) meeting with the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) on August 19, 2024. The article’s headline and first paragraph assert that the NWC “stripped the Provincial Executive Committee of its powers,” a claim the ANC has labeled as a “serious falsehood.”
In a statement issued today, the ANC expressed its disappointment with the misleading narrative presented by the Sunday Times. “There was no stripping of any powers of the PEC by the NWC,” the statement clarified. The article, according to the ANC, based its claims on the word of unnamed “insiders” who allegedly attended the meeting. However, the ANC noted that the article later contradicts its own claims, quoting other “insiders” who denied any such action was taken.
The ANC criticized the journalistic approach of the Sunday Times, questioning why the newspaper chose to publish the more sensational claim without verifying the facts with the Secretary-General’s Office.
“If two sets of so-called insiders are giving contradictory claims about the same meeting, it is difficult to understand why the journalists elected to go on the word of the one group of claimants against the other,” the ANC stated.
The ANC emphasized that it has a standardized practice of issuing written memoranda to its structures on decisions made, supplemented by press statements. The party also highlighted its openness to the media, ensuring that political and organizational decisions are communicated clearly and accurately once taken.
