The African National Congress’s Western Cape conference has been postponed for the sixth time in five months, turning a spotlight on the party’s provincial secretary, Mcebisi Skwatsha.
Skwatsha, criticised for organisational failures amid acrimonious jockeying for party leadership posts, rejected the charge that he lacks administrative ability. He said the ANC had just one provincial organiser and relied heavily on its six regional secretaries. Securing a venue had also proved difficult.
Skwatsha, who is also the Western Cape minister of public works, is at the helm of one of the provincial ANC’s two rival camps.
“The test that I’m doing my job will be at the conference,” he said. “I’m happy it will ultimately take place; unfortunately not this Friday.”
The conference is provisionally scheduled for next weekend. Currently under scrutiny are the nominations from more than 200 branches for party chairperson, secretary, their deputies and treasurer.
At the conference, Skwatsha or ANC MP James Ngculu could mount a challenge to Premier Ebrahim Rasool, the current chairperson, who is at the centre of the other camp.
Grassroots canvassing has been robust, with some regional leaders allegedly using their influence to sway branch nominations. Four of the six regional structures are said to be pro-Skwatsha.
ANC headquarters appears less concerned about the repeated postponements of the conference than about the infighting. Two weeks ago secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe led a delegation to calm tempers.
“The situation is beginning to heal itself,” ANC national spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama claimed this week. But he hinted that a successful conference must be held. “They can see the challenges … They know exactly what will happen if they go unprepared,” he said.
In March the ANC’s Mpumalanga conference was abandoned amid complaints that delegates came from improperly constituted branches. In November 2002 national ANC leaders annulled the Eastern Cape conference, pointing to irregularities and factional tensions.