The African National Congress (ANC) in the Western Cape has confirmed it removed Benson Ngqentsu, the provincial secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP), from the Western Cape Provincial Legislature and has replaced him with Pat Marran.
ANC says move final; SACP threatens legal action
ANC Provincial Convener Jerimia Thuynsma told reporters the party would not reverse its decision and that Marran was already installed in the legislature in Ngqentsu’s place. According to the ANC, two other SACP councillors in the Southern Cape and Overberg regions were also dismissed from their posts after allegations they had joined an unspecified political party.
“We are not intending to reverse the decision that we have taken. In actual fact, we have replaced Benson Ngqentsu already, with the next person on the list, who is currently sitting in the provincial legislature in the form of Pat Marran,” Thuynsma said.
The SACP responded that it intends to formalise court papers challenging the ANC’s action if the party does not reverse the decisions. The SACP’s announcement indicates the matter may be litigated, potentially drawing out a dispute over party representation on proportional lists and local council benches.
How list replacements work — and what is contested
Under South Africa’s proportional representation system, parties fill vacant seats using ranked lists of candidates submitted after elections. The ANC said it had followed that procedure by appointing the next person on its list. The SACP, however, appears to contest the basis on which the ANC removed its members from the legislature and municipal lists.
The dispute raises several practical and political questions for the Western Cape:
- Representation: whether the SACP retains influence within ANC caucuses or whether seats occupied by members aligned with the SACP will be filled by ANC-aligned representatives.
- Coalition dynamics: the change could affect informal working relations between the ANC and the SACP locally, including in municipalities in the Southern Cape and Overberg.
- Legal precedent: any court action may clarify procedural questions about party discipline, membership and the grounds for removing proportional representatives.
Local consequences and the wider political backdrop
In the Western Cape, where the ANC is the official opposition to the Democratic Alliance (DA)-led provincial government, internal disputes over candidate lists and caucus composition have a direct bearing on how well the opposition coordinates oversight and service-delivery campaigns. Replacements on PR lists can change committee allocations and speaking rights in the provincial legislature.
Thuynsma said the ANC had informed the relevant municipalities that the two councillors in the Southern Cape and Overberg had been replaced. The ANC characterised the removals as necessary steps after allegations that the councillors had joined another political formation, but the party did not specify the nature of those allegations beyond that description.
| Person | Position before | Position now |
|---|---|---|
| Benson Ngqentsu | SACP Provincial Secretary; ANC-appointed provincial legislature member | Removed from provincial legislature |
| Pat Marran | Next person on ANC list | Installed in provincial legislature |
The SACP’s intention to approach the courts puts the ANC on the defensive and signals a test of how internal party agreements are enforced. If the SACP proceeds with litigation, the dispute may produce judicial clarity on the interplay between party lists, membership disputes and the rights of organisations allied to the ANC.
What to expect next
Watch points in the coming days will include whether the SACP files papers at court, the basis the ANC uses to justify the removals in writing, and any responses from the municipalities where councillors were replaced. Should the SACP proceed to court, timelines will depend on when papers are filed and whether parties seek urgent relief.
For now, the ANC’s move has altered the composition of the provincial legislature and local council benches in parts of the Southern Cape and Overberg. The political fallout will be measured not only in legal filings but in how the change affects coordination between the ANC and its allied formations in the province.
Riaan Bester, Western Cape Correspondent (Cape Town)
