It looks like a split. It smells like a split. It feels like a split. And yet the entire Western Cape ANC is denying that it faces a major rift along political fault lines between its former chair, James Ngculu, and former premier, Ebrahim Rasool, on the one hand and its newly elected chair, Mcebisi Skwatsha, on the other.
Last week the ANC in the province held its long-awaited provincial conference and the Skwatsha grouping — seen as strongly pro-Zuma — made a clean sweep of the top five positions by unanimously electing Skwatsha as party chairperson, Premier Lynne Brown as deputy chair, Sipho Kroma as secretary, Max Ozinsky as deputy secretary and Songezo Mjongile as treasurer.
In contrast with other recent provincial conferences of the ruling party there were no threats, intimidation or mayhem, but about 42% of branches (86 of 205) boycotted the conference claiming that they were deliberately excluded because they supported Lerumo Kalako for the position of chairperson.
Kalako is seen as a Thabo Mbeki supporter and a staunch backer of now ousted Ngculu. He told the Mail & Guardian on Thursday: ”I have nothing to say. It’s best if you phone Skwatsha and Ozinsky for their comments.”
Although a member of the ANC’s provincial executive committee, recently ousted premier Rasool did not attend the conference either. He told the local media that he did not want to cause further divisions in the organisation.
On the first day of the conference regional secretary Mbulelo Ncedana and about 500 of his supporters held an alternative meeting in Langa, where Ngculu addressed them after delivering his formal conference address.
On both sides of the political divide ANC members deny that the boycott of the conference marks an imminent split in the organisation.
Garth Strachan, Western Cape finance minister, said the ANC has 54 000 signed-up members in the province, of whom about 400 were disaffected.
”These people chose to step outside due process and they’re bringing the name of the ANC into disrepute. They’re doing the opposition’s work for them and we don’t see this as signifying a split in the ANC.”
Strachan is adamant that the ANC’s national leadership, under the chairmanship of NEC member Fikile Mbalula, listened to the concerns of the disgruntled members.
Ncedane sent a memorandum to the national executive committee claiming that Skwatsha and his supporters manipulated branches attending the conference to ensure a Skwatsha victory. Both Strachan and Ozinsky denied this.
”When you’re a democrat you have to abide by the democratic process. You can’t cry foul and boycott the process because you don’t like the majority vote,” Ozinsky said.
”Honestly, we’re worried about the divisions in the province. It’s worrying if senior provincial leaders are playing a factional and divisive role with the intention of disrupting the highest organ of the organisation in the province, namely the conference.”
Regional executive committee member Yengwayo Kutta said he and others decided to boycott the conference because ”there had been a clear attempt to exclude branches that supported Kalako as the ANC chair”.
”Eighty-five branches out of 205 are not participating because we’re unhappy with the process. Branches in good standing were excluded because of political interference. I myself believe that the conference is fraudulent,” Kutta said.
”We want the national leadership to listen to our concerns and then we would like another, more inclusive, conference to be held.”