African National Congress (ANC) dissidents in the Northern Cape on Tuesday said an overwhelming majority of the party’s branches in the province were ready to listen to what former party national chairperson Mosiuoa Lekota might have to offer.
Spokesperson Fezile Kies said many wanted to disown the recently ”illegitimate and illegally” elected provincial ANC leadership, and supported the national convention called by Lekota.
”We are quite convinced that there is no prospect of Luthuli House reversing the violation of the ANC constitution at the provincial conference of August this year at Kuruman,” Kies said in a statement.
Kies addressed the media in Kimberley on the branches’ plans.
He said in the run-up to the national convention the ”aggrieved branches” would lay the foundation for visits by Lekota by inviting him to address a rally at Galeshewe, Kimberley, and other places in the province.
Kies also highlighted various issues ”in line with those” raised by Lekota recently, which, according to the branches, show how the ANC had shifted from its democratic values and cultures in the province. One of these was ”advancing leadership by arrangement”.
Kies also criticised ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe’s handling of the leadership deadlock during the recent elections of Northern Cape party leaders.
He referred to the ”blatant advancement of factionalism in the ANC through the endorsement of John Block’s chairpersonship against the popular support for Neville Mompati”, adding: ”His [Mompati’s] leadership was thwarted by Luthuli House and in particular Gwede Mantashe because he [Mompati] supported Thabo Mbeki in the run-up to Polokwane.”
The group plans to mobilise thousands of ANC members to hand over their membership cards to the party in protest against this week’s suspension and impending expulsion of Lekota and Mluleki George.
Kies also named various ”key comrades”, mostly ANC mayors, speakers, municipal managers and councillors, in different Northern Cape municipalities who had been victimised in recent times.
”They were purged because they were not in support of Jacob Zuma and John Block and removed,” he said, — Sapa