Court rules in favour of ANC member left out of NCOP deployment list

JOHANNESBURG - In what was set to change the composition of the African National Congress' (ANC) deployment plans in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Wednesday afternoon ruled in favour of a party member who was left off the deployment list.Ponani Makhubele is a member of the party’s Limpopo provincial executive council.Makhubele said she felt vindicated following the court order, adding that the court case was more than just about her dispute.“I feel because vindicated because this was not just for me as an individual but it was for every person out there who is seen to be useless by the people who are in leadership positions.”The ANC has not been available for comment.Members of the NCOP are expected to be sworn in on Thursday.She approached the court seeking a declaratory order that would compel the ANC to act in line with a settlement agreement guaranteeing her a seat in the NCOP.Her name was removed from the original list of candidates the ANC sent to the Electoral Commission of South Africa in March ahead of the general elections.In a bid to remedy the situation, the ANC entered into a settlement agreement with her in which she was promised a seat in the NCOP but reneged on it after the elections.Makhubele’s attorney Sthenjwa Dladla said: “There is now a court order that our client is trying to enforce and so it’s up to the party to say what they do. It does affect the members in the NCOP.”The ANC has also been ordered to pay her legal costs.
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