The African National Congress’s Western Cape conference has been postponed for the fifth time, amid continuing organisational disarray that has fuelled backroom manoeuvring for leadership positions.
Current provincial ANC leader Ebrahim Rasool will stand for a third term at the June conference, but a challenge is looming from the ”Africanist camp” comprising those who favour a departure from the unwritten rule of having a coloured leader to reflect provincial demographics. This camp includes several leading white and coloured provincial ANC members, such as members of the provincial legislature Max Ozinsky and Garth Strachan, Western Cape finance minister Lynne Brown and Yusuf Gabru.
The names of provincial secretary Mcebisi Skwatsha and ANC MP James Ngculu, a former provincial secretary, have been widely touted as challengers. Both this week refused to be drawn on the matter, as did Brown, who is reportedly available for re-election as treasurer or for the position of deputy chairperson.
If Rasool is ousted he will continue as premier until 2009, although his position will be much weakened. The split between the ANC provincial chairperson’s post and the premiership has caused regular migraines in the party, particularly in the Free State and Eastern Cape.
The leadership contest at the conference promises to be close run: in 2001 Ngculu withdrew his challenge against Rasool only on the floor of the conference after 11th-hour lobbying.
ANC leaders like Zola Skweyiya have so far kept a lid on renewed tensions, to avoid a repeat of the bruising jockeying that marked the 2004 election candidate list process. After national intervention, the compromise ”unity in diversity” election list was headed by Rasool, but loaded with Africanist rivals such as Skwatsha, sports minister Zandisile Stali, provincial legislature speaker Shaun Byneveldt and Brown.
Nominations opened on Wednesday and ”robust debates”, to use the ANC euphemism for heated lobbying, are expected until May 15.
The run-up to the provincial conference has already been marred by organisational muddle. The six regions were slow to vet whether branches were in good standing and hold their regional conferences ahead of the provincial indaba.
None of the regional meetings went smoothly: in the Dullah Omar (Cape Town) region chaos broke out over the exclusion of three branches said to support Rasool. In the Karoo and Overberg regions there were complaints about compliance with electoral procedures. Tempers flared in the Boland before the region held its conference earlier this month, while there were actual fisticuffs at a De Doorns branch meeting.
However, last week the Western Cape executive committee upheld all regional office bearers’ election and also dismissed disciplinary steps against four Dullah Omar members.
The way in now clear for the June provincial conference — the first since the ANC came into the Western Cape administration through the 2001 cooperation deal with the New National Party.
To regain leadership of the province, Rasool must pick up support in the Dullah Omar region. With 20 000 members and 63% of the overall provincial ANC vote in the 2004 election, the region has a determining say over who will lead.
While it is not necessarily opposed to Rasool, who has widespread support in the townships of Khayelitsha, Lwandle and Phillippi, discussions are under way to balance his leadership with members of the Africanist camp.
Rasool must also woo the Boland, the largest region outside the peninsula. This has been split since the run-up to the 2004 poll, when Skwatsha mobilised support away from then social development minister Marius Fransman — a Rasool supporter, but known to harbour his own ambitions. Fransman has the solid backing of the West Coast region.
Disgruntlement with Rasool centres on complaints that he is too hands-on as premier and that he spends too little time on party matters.
The upcoming local government election is also accentuating divisions. In the Cape Town metropolitan council, many ANC members believe the party must now appeal to Africans. They point out that this constituency is growing, largely because of migration, and that it is a more enthusiastic voting bloc than the numerically dominant coloureds.
During Skwatsha’s transport and public works budget vote debate on Tuesday, Democratic Alliance provincial legislature member Robin Carlisle accused the minister of abusing state funds for political purposes by funding full-page newspaper advertisements apologising for inconvenience caused by the closing of taxi ranks.
Skwatsha also featured in SAfm advertisements this week. Last year he featured below president Thabo Mbeki on posters announcing the president’s launch of the provincial expanded public works programme. Rasool has not lagged behind: his photograph appeared this week in local newspapers with best wishes for various religious holidays and announcements of government activities