ANC officials have proposed that the recently reinstated North West provincial executive committee (PEC), led by former premier Supra Mahumapelo, work with the provincial task team appointed by the party's NEC.

Sources privy to the discussions at a meeting that took place behind closed doors at Luthuli House yesterday, between Mahumapelo's PEC, the task team and ANC officials, said if the proposal is rejected, the party will hold a special NEC meeting to deal with the matter.

ANC spokespersons Dakota Legoete and Zizi Kodwa had not responded to Sowetan's request for comment at the time of going to print.

Mahumapelo's PEC held its first meeting over the weekend to discuss a way forward following their reinstatement by the South Gauteng High Court last week.

The court set aside the NEC's decision to disband the PEC in August last year, effectively reinstating Mahumapelo at the helm of the party in the troubled province.

This follows Mahumapelo and four others approaching the court to have the national executive committee's decision overturned.

The court found that the NEC's decision to disband the structure was procedurally unfair and a breach of the party's constitution and in violation of the "applicant's Section 19 constitutional rights".

The court further ruled that Mahumapelo and the disbanded PEC he chaired should be reinstated within two days of the ruling and that leaving the provincial task team (PTT) in place, as the ANC had contended, would constitute preserving an illegal state of affairs.

This past weekend, the ANC sent the newly established rapid task team, chaired by Deputy President David Mabuza, to the troubled North West to meet with the PEC and the PTT.

Mabuza and the team he leads are tasked with "promoting unity" within the ANC's structures in the North West.

"It was compulsory to speak for every PEC member in the meeting to express views and suggestions on the current political situation in the province and possible way forward," said PEC spokesperson Gerald Modise.

He said the PEC resolved to make proposals to ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule's office about the structure's post-term of office as well as mechanisms of "urgently bringing everyone on board" regarding elections.