/ 16 December 2012

North West ANC secretary Mataboge gets served

ANC North West secretary Kabelo Mataboge.
ANC North West secretary Kabelo Mataboge.

This was after he was served a letter instructing him to leave the ANC's Mangaung conference on Sunday.

A sheriff of the court in Bloemfontein served the letter on Mataboge as he was addressing disputes about his province's delegates at the accreditation venue. The letter said he must leave the conference because his membership was suspended from the ANC. On Friday, a day before delegates were scheduled to leave the North West for Bloemfontein, the provincial working committee informed Mataboge that his membership was suspended. Mataboge confirmed to the Mail & Guardian that he received a letter barring him from the conference. "It says I'm not allowed to participate in activities of the ANC, meetings of the ANC and the national conference. And that I should return all property of the ANC." He added: "I'm evicted, I'm outside. When I went back inside after receiving the letter I was literally evicted."

AppealMataboge was on Sunday evening preparing to appeal the ban from the congress.

"You can appeal to the national disciplinary committee, which we [with his lawyers] are going to do immediately." Though Mataboge was informed of his suspension in the early hours of Friday morning he was only given charges on Sunday at the conference.

He was charged with bringing the ANC into disrepute, non-registration of seven wards in Tlokwe municipality in last year's local government elections and instigating disgruntled ANC members to take the party to court last week because they were unhappy with the outcomes of the provincial nominations conference. Mataboge is part of the group in the province that wants ANC president Jacob Zuma replaced with his deputy Kgalema Motlanthe when leadership is elected at this conference. ANC North West chairperson Supra Mahumapelo said the provincial leadership opted to get the sheriff deliver the letter simply because "the sheriff guarantees delivery, unlike an ANC member who can disappear and tell us stories".  

Maliciousness
Mahumapelo said the ANC property that Mataboge is expected to return is the party's laptop.

He dismissed any suspicion of maliciousness in serving the letter to Mataboge in the middle of the high profile conference.

He said when Mataboge was suspended on Friday he was told that conditions for his suspension would follow soon. Meanwhile pro-change delegates from the North West claim bogus delegates have been accredited for the conference in their places. There was a complaint that over 90 delegates on Sunday and those claiming to be rightful branch representatives were still battling to be accredited. Mataboge himself only received his accreditation on Sunday afternoon, hours after the conference had started. One frustrated North West delegate told the M&G that he was denied accreditation and was now sitting at his hotel room while fellow delegates attended the conference.

"ANC security told me on Saturday that I'm one of the people who are coming to cause disruptions and that I'm not allowed at the conference."

Delegates were on Sunday scheduled to adopt conference credentials, a part of the conference that normally takes hours because of disputes.