The African National Congress (ANC) national working committee (NWC) has considered proposals to disband the party's provincial structures in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.

Concern about political violence and infighting in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga is one of the reasons behind the NWC's proposal to disband two of the ANC's provincial structures.

The mandates of the ANC's provincial structures in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga have expired, and officials need to head to conference to elect new leaders.

However, on Monday, the NWC considered calls for the disbandment of these two provincial structures just weeks before the provincial conferences were due to take place.

Mpumalanga's provincial conference is expected to start on 11 March.

The province last held a conference in 2015, when David Mabuza was at the helm of the province.

The mandate of the ANC's Eastern Cape leadership expired last year when they were meant to hold a conference.

ANC spokesperson Dakota Legoete said the NWC considered the possibility of disbanding the two provinces after calls were made for the ANC's top brass to consider it.

Leaders who proposed disbanding the two provincial structures raised concerns about the violence witnessed as branches held meetings in preparation for the provincial conferences.

In the Eastern Cape, the province decided to suspend branch general meetings following violence in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro after a councillor was killed.

In Mpumalanga, chaotic and violent branch meetings have been a constant feature since 2020.

"The reason for the consideration of disbandment is... a lack of cohesion in terms of the programme of the ANC, [and] because of the violence, we... doubt [that] we can have successful conferences. We have since put the decision in abyss (sic) until the NEC (national executive committee) takes place at the end of March," Legoete said.

He said the NWC had referred the matter to the NEC, which was scheduled to meet at the end of March.

He said, for now, the ANC will allow the two provinces to hold their respective conferences this month. If they fail to hold conferences, the NEC will have to step in, according to Legoete.

"If they (Mpumalanga) are ready, we will allow them to go to a conference, and the Eastern Cape also said within the next three weeks they will go to a conference, according to their programme of action.

"We cannot take chances, and people have already been shot, and others have died, so it's not something we can take for granted. If the violence continues, we will be left with no option but to call [it] off," Legoete said.

The disbandment of provincial structures would likely lead to the appointment of an interim leadership structure.

An ANC member in the Eastern Cape, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal, said calls for disbandment were likely political.

Another ANC member said disbanding a provincial structure should be a last resort.

He said general branch meetings were steadily being held in preparation for the provincial conference at the end of March.