It took the ANC in the North West three days to select candidates for the new provincial legislature and National Assembly for the next government administration. (Oupa Nkosi)
The ANC in North West and Limpopo failed to unify battling factions at provincial conferences last weekend. It now appears that in these two provinces the road to next year's elections will be characterised by squabbling and mistrust.
ANC provinces are working against the clock to prepare for
a national list conference at which delegates will choose candidates
to represent the party in the nine provincial legislatures and Parliament.
North West
It took the ANC in the North West three days to select candidates for the new provincial legislature and National Assembly for the next government administration. Two days were spent on disputes about delegates' credentials and verifying nominations and there wasn't time to hold a provincial general council.
In the end only a list conference was held, under pressure from Luthuli House – whose October 31 deadline was missed. The province also failed to elect a new deputy chairperson, secretary and deputy secretary.
Money was also an obstacle. The party needed at least R1.5-million to extend its delegates' stay at the hotel to November 4 if it wanted to continue with the provincial general council – money that was not readily available.
The council is now scheduled to be held on November 23 at a venue that is still to be decided.
In addition, branch credentials from Bojanala, Ngaka Modiri Molema and Dr Ruth Mompati regions were queried.
"We are told delegates from Bojanala had tags before registration and that caused havoc," said a Ngaka Modiri Molema delegate, who has been lobbying for current premier Thandi Modise to be voted into the number one spot.
ANC provincial chairperson Supra Mahumapelo's faction appeared to have the upper hand after the list conference, with the majority of the top spots in both the provincial and national lists occupied by those aligned to the group. Mahumapelo is in the lead, with 171 votes against Modise's 136. The two leaders are both vying for secure positions, from which one of them might be appointed premier by Luthuli House.
However, the national list for future parliamentarians is unlikely to favour the Modise faction, which opposed ANC president Jacob Zuma at last December's Mangaung conference.
Limpopo
Once again, the ANC in the province was forced to postpone four regional conferences, which were supposed to have been held last weekend in preparation for the party's elective conference next month.
The party's provincial list conference managed to convene, but not without drama. One ANC region – Waterberg – was disqualified due to allegations of bogus candidates and parallel branches. The allegations are being investigated by Luthuli House.
The provincial list conference also exposed divisions within the ANC provincial task team – with a group that supports its chairperson, Philemon Mdaka, allegedly booing the task team's co-ordinator, Joy Matshoge.
Mdaka's group supports premier Stan Mathabatha for the position of ANC chairperson and premier, while Matshoge's group supports provincial public works minister Dickson Masemola for the same positions.
Party insiders said this week that Mdaka's group was trying hard to sideline branches that support Masemola and favoured those who want Mathabatha, who is said to be unknown within ANC branches in Limpopo.
Masemola served as provincial deputy chairperson during Cassel Mathale's tenure and is said to be enjoying support in regions like Vhembe, Sekhukhune, Mopani and part of Waterberg.
But Mathabatha's supporters insist he enjoyed the majority support of ANC branches in the province. According to a supporter, he was nominated to the top spot on the province-to-province list, with 343 votes to Masemola's 262.
Mdaka said the regional conferences were postponed because the list conference took longer than expected.
He claimed he was not aware of complaints raised by Masemola's group. The complaints included the fact that there were fraudulent tags for delegates and that provincial task team members had entered the voting area without permission.
"The voting process at the provincial list conference was fair. We never received complaints. We clarified the Waterberg issue to the delegates. The problem with the region was that many branches were not verified and [the credentials] report was not signed by the secretary general [Gwede Mantashe]," said Mdaka.
Asked whether the list conference met the 70% threshold without the Waterberg region, Mdaka said: "Those are secretariat matters. Issues of credentials are not done by the chairperson. What I know is that we followed the ANC guidelines."
Mdaka denied that Matshoge had been booed during the conference.
"She was presenting credentials and at the same time allowing delegates to speak [as if she was chairing the meeting]. This is the function of the chairperson or the deputy chairperson. The delegates wanted the chair or deputy chairperson to chair the meeting. There is no division within the provincial task team.
"In the ANC, we don't agree on everything. If you differ with the majority it does not mean that the organisation is divided," said Mdaka.