Ballots used in the ANC’s recent regional elective conference in Johannesburg were on Sunday allegedly found opened at the house of the presiding officer in the December vote.
Ballots used in the ANC’s recent regional elective conference in Johannesburg were on Sunday allegedly found opened at the house of the presiding officer in the December vote.
This comes amid tensions within the region over accusations that the elective conference, which saw mayor Dada Morero lose his chairperson position to Loyiso Masuku was manipulated to favour party deputy president Paul Mashatile’s faction over that of secretary general Fikile Mbalula before the 2027 national elective conference.
The ballots were meant to be kept safe and sealed and returned to the ANC. One ANC source who was at the scene said the house in question belongs to the chief executive of the company which presided over the December vote.
“We found the ballots opened, they were trying to burn them. The question is why are they not in sealed boxes. They are claiming that their house is their office,” they said.
When the Mail & Guardian arrived at the house, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni and Deputy Minister for Public Works and Infrastructure Sihle Zikalala — who were deployed by the ANC to the Johannesburg regional conference, were at the scene.
Ntshavheni declined to answer questions from the publication.
The ballots were meant to be kept safe and sealed and returned to the ANC.
Last week, sources told the M&G that Election Management Consulting Agency of Africa (EMCA), the company appointed to oversee the electoral process, had potential conflicts of interest, raising questions about the integrity of the vote that saw Mashatile-aligned candidates dominate the regional executive committee in the December vote.
Mbalula’s faction is disputing the outcome of the regional elective conference, citing irregularities in ballot design and candidate listings.
The former director of the company who works in the supply chain of the City of Johannesburg, resigned from the company in June and was replaced by her child who was born in 1992, sources said. Of concern to Morero’s slate is the fact that the former company director, whose name is known to the M&G, previously worked in Masuku’s office in the city as a media liaison officer.
The disgruntled party members say the timing of her resignation raised eyebrows as this was just a month before the conference was initially meant to sit.
A Morero ally last week said the woman did not disclose her affiliation to the company.
“She was one of the 130 employees the DA got rid of when it took power [in Johannesburg in 2021]. She worked in Loyiso’s office as a media liaison officer. That cannot be a coincidence. She also did not declare this company to the city,” the source said.
EMCA director Nkulie White rejected the allegations of misconduct against the company, saying it did not participate in political decision-making, candidate selection or factional processes.
“Our appointment was based on our technical capacity, proven experience in administering complex electoral conferences and our ability to deliver credible, transparent and free and fair electoral processes,” White said last week.
“As a contracted service provider to the ANC, EMCA is not at liberty to disclose internal or organisational information relating to the Johannesburg regional electoral conference. The mandate was issued through official ANC channels and our role was strictly limited to the provision of independent electoral administration services.”