Rasool prioritises international humanitarian work over ANC role

The ANC holds no hard feelings towards its veteran member, Ebrahim Rasool, who recently declined the opportunity to convene the party’s provincial task team (PTT) in the Western Cape.

This role was intended to strengthen the party's support ahead of the upcoming local government elections. In a significant reconfiguration of its provincial structure, the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) replaced the provincial executive committee (PEC) with the PTT and appointed Rasool as its convenor.

The party appointed Linda Moss as the first deputy convener, Vuyiso Tyhalisisu as second deputy convener, Thandi Manikivana Makasi as coordinator, Melanie Tembo as first deputy coordinator, Phlisa Makeleni as second deputy coordinator, and Richard Dyantyi as fundraiser. 

However, the NEC has since replaced Rasool with the former councillor of Cape Town Municipality, Jeremia Thuynsma, after the former ambassador to the United States had declined the appointment.

ANC provincial spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni said the party welcomed Rasool’s decision to excuse himself, which he said was not a declination, “but a plea to focus his energies on international work, which is a very important pillar of our agenda”.

“Cde Rasool has been a prolific diplomat on behalf of the ANC in the international space. He has requested to focus on that important pillar, which we welcome wholeheartedly,” said Mtsweni. 

He said the ANC saw no need to convince Rasool to take up the deployment to the province because it viewed his international activities as also part of the work of the party at an international stage.

In turning down the deployment to convene the PTT, Rasool cited his personal international engagements. 

He posted on social media that on November 3, he, for the first time since the 80s, declined the deployment. 

“I have signed a contract with a global entity, and I’ve advanced the work of my World for All Foundation. 

He said such responsibility keeps him busy from having 100% effort to the ANC. 

“Especially not one of leading an overly large and diverse leadership collective in the face of a resourced and slick incumbent party in the WC,” said Rasool. 

However, political analyst Sakhile Hadebe did not believe that international engagements would have prevented Rasool from assisting his party. 

He said the ANC in the province was facing historical challenges of bridging the gap between the coloured and black communities, who have historical divisions. 

Rasool was the premier between 2001 to 2008 and was succeeded by ANC’s Lynne Brown, who served from 2008 to 2009. 

Neville Delport, a former ANC provincial secretary, recently defected to the DA, along with two former ANC councillors, Daniel Baadjies (Langeberg) and Paul Strauss (Cederberg), and former ANC regional executive member Jason Donn.

One of the reasons cited for their move was their dissatisfaction with the ANC increasing the number of black leaders in the Provincial Task Team (PTT) within a province where the coloured community is the dominant population.

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Cape Argus