ANC Eastern Cape secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi
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The ANC’s Eastern Cape provincial task team may suffer yet another blow after disgruntled members indicated that they would seek to interdict the Dr WB Rubusana regional conference from taking place in April.
The members from 12 wards that were disbanded in February wrote to the governing party seeking an intervention into what they termed “an unfamiliar political activity committed by the regional secretary, provincial executive committee [PEC] deployees and the provincial secretary.
The letter stated that branches from GB Pasha, Welile Salman, Lilian Ngoyi, Nomatshaka Mgabela, Raymond Mhlaba, Nonyamezelo Mxenge, Sicelo Mhlawuli, Themba Mjo, Mkolisi Nkamjeni, Yure Mdyolo, and Xolani Haya were dissolved without following or observing proper procedures and protocols as per ANC policies.
“Pursuant to the correspondence, it was expected that your office would respond and provide guidance to these unfamiliar political activities and deter same from occurring again in future, however, to date, there has been no response from your office, thereby leaving our client with no other option but to seek the intervention of the court to resolve these issues,” attorney Khuzelihle Ngcelwane said.
In March, provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi — who turned convener following the dissolution of the PEC — wrote to the region about disturbing trends in the execution of organisational tasks and methods of engagement by the regional executive committee (REC).
Reacting to the threat of court, Ngcukayitobi said matters of litigation were better dealt with and ventilated in court, adding “that [is] where we will deal with the matter as it stands”.
Ngcukayitobi accused the REC of failing to abide by the decision of the province to reinstate regional secretary Antonio Carels.
Carels, an ally of Eastern Cape ANC chairperson Oscar Mabuyane, was suspended by the committee over allegations of list manipulation in the build-up to last November’s local government elections.
Ngcukayitobi also accused the regional leaders of snubbing investigators probing violence in branches. He said the REC had taken no steps to stop the widely reported violence or to engage the concerned people, adding that the regional leadership led ANC members who stormed the party’s Calata House during the investigation, and did not discourage this behaviour.
“The PEC, in accordance with the powers vested in it, dissolved branches due to different reasons and the REC is hellbent on undermining that authority of the PEC. The REC is not sitting its meetings as expected and didn’t submit a road map to its regional conference to date. Lastly, the ANC directed that a review of the 2021 local government elections be done and that was also undermined by the REC,” the provincial secretary wrote.
Attorney Ngcelwane said no communication had been received from the ANC on the matter, adding that the disgruntled members had instructed him to begin the court process to interdict the regional conference.
The ANC has been plagued by court challenges in the past, most notably in the lead up to the Nasrec 2017 conference that saw President Cyril Ramaphosa emerge as party leader.
In the Eastern Cape, the party was forced to suspend branch general meetings in March in the Nelson Mandela Bay and Dr WB Rubusana regions after violence. The province is headed for a fierce battle for control of the soul of the party between Mabuyane and former provincial treasurer Babalo Madikizela.
Of the eight regions, three are expected to hold conferences in April. The Chris Hani region will head to its conference on 1 April. The region is home to Mabuyane and will likely endorse him for a second term. With 222 delegates, the region will hold some sway in the provincial conference later in April.
The Sarah Baartman and Dr WB Rubusana regions will hold conferences on 8 April. DR WB Rubusana will have 152 delegates in the provincial conference, and Sarah Baartman will be represented by 101 delegates. In Nelson Mandela Bay 101 delegates will represent the voting bloc; there will be 88 delegates for Joe Gqabi; Amathole will have 224; and OR Tambo will have the lion’s share of 348 delegates.
The Alfred Nzo region, which is home to Madikizela, will have 205 voting delegates.
A total of 651 branches and 1 441 delegates have already been approved to attend the provincial conference.
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