African National Congress (ANC) Mpumalanga deputy provincial secretary Lindiwe Ntshalintshali said on Monday that branches should be given an opportunity to pronounce on the matter of the party’s step-aside rule.

Ntshalintshali was speaking during the province’s two-day Provincial General Council (PGC) in eManzana, which aimed to reflect on policy issues, as well as preparations for the national policy conference expected to take place between Thursday and Sunday.

Newly elected ANC secretary in KwaZulu-Natal Bheki Mtolo has called for the step-aside policy to be scrapped.

“I must say that there were some serious reviews on the step-aside rule because how national conference resolved on the matter and how it is implemented is not what the conference resolved on, and we are here to say that there is nobody who can amend a national decision of the conference, not even the NEC. So, these branches are the same ones that will go to the national conference to exercise their democratic rights regarding the step-aside rule - let us allow branches that space,” Ntshalintshali said.

She went on to say that while branches can lobby for or against the policy, once the conference has resolved and once leadership is elected then branches should rally behind that leadership.

The PGC also focussed on gender-based violence and cross-border migration issues.

“As a province we should also be making our input nationally and also making sure that all issues that have been raised through branches see light of day, including the step-aside rule. And Constitutional review,” Ntshalintshali said.