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An application to challenge the ANC national executive committee's (NEC) decision to disband the provincial executive committee (PEC) in the North West will be heard next Thursday.
Arguments were expected to be heard on Friday.
However, one of the applicants, Kutlwano Masibi, told News24: "The judge had 16 other matters on the roll. We asked for our own allocation. We thought if he had 16 other issues to deal with, it could cloud him or even leave him fatigued."
Masibi is one of four applicants who were joined by former ANC North West chairperson Supra Mahumapelo in a bid to have the NEC decision overturned.
The NEC dissolved the PEC in September – five months after Mahumapelo took "early retirement" from his position as premier of the platinum-rich province.
His fall was characterised by violent demonstrations throughout the province, with residents and some ANC members rallying together under the banner #SupraMustFall.
Last month, he quit the provincial task team (PTT), rejecting a move by the ANC's national working committee (NWC) to bring some stability to the province. The NWC included Mahumapelo against the decision by its NEC to leave him out of the PTT.
"This is a matter of national interest and we would (want) it to be treated as such," Masibi said to News24.
The applicants have rejected the decision made by the NEC, which is the ANC's highest decision-making body in between conferences, with Masibi saying although they respect the authority the structure has, they don't believe it was impartial when it decided to dissolve Mahumapelo's executive.
In Mahumapelo's court papers, he supports the relief the applicants are seeking.
Questions around inclusion
Mahumapelo has enlisted the assistance of advocate Dali Mpofu, SC, while the other applicants have sought the assistance of advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, who has a won a string of cases brought against the ANC by its own members.
In his papers, the former leader questioned the NEC's assessment of branches in his province, asking why they were allowed to participate in the ANC's watershed December 2017 national elective conference if branches and regions in the North West were indeed dysfunctional.
Read more here: Mahumapelo puts up a fight to overturn PEC break-up
Mahumapelo insisted that there was a purge of those who had not supported Cyril Ramaphosa's bid to become president of the party at the December national conference.
Meanwhile, the ANC in the North West would not be drawn into discussing the issue, with the PTT's co-ordinator Keinetswe Mosenogi telling News24 the national office was cited as the first respondent and was leading the charge on the matter.
ANC secretary general Ace Magashule, a known Mahumapelo ally, has previously described those who challenged the organisation in court as "counter-revolutionary" and said it would be better to engage and settle issues outside of the court.
The matter is expected to be heard on November 8.
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