President Jacob Zuma brings a high-powered ANC delegation to the Eastern Cape this weekend to deal with regional factional divisions.The Sunday visit comes two months after ANC deputy general secretary Jessie Duarte’s visit to the province to probe allegations of membership rigging in Buffalo City Metro and OR Tambo.
The allegations surfaced as the two regions prepared for their elective conferences.
Disgruntled members took their disputes directly to the ruling party’s national headquarters, Luthuli House, bypassing the Eastern Cape leadership.
In Buffalo City, five ANC members registered complaints directly with Duarte while some OR Tambo and Joe Gqabi regional leaders complained to Luthuli House on how conference preparations were being managed.
Among the complaints was one from BCM’s Washington Bongco branch executive committee (BEC) member Xolani Nontshinga. He accused his branch secretary of working with suspended regional secretary Pumlani Mkolo to inflate branch membership and sway results in their favour.
The Saturday Dispatch recently revealed how membership forms signed by a bank official had dates contradictory to when certain members actually signed up. It was believed the forms were being backdated to enable new members to vote. The party requires individuals to have been members for six months before they can do so.
Mkolo has been on special leave since May for his alleged involvement in factional divisions but he has not yet been charged.
The outcomes of Duarte’s investigation into the rigging claims are yet to be made public despite it having been discussed at an ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) meeting last Friday.
ANC regions in the province have also battled gatekeeping allegations. Some branch secretaries stand accused of wrongly disqualifying members who qualify to vote at BGMs to eliminate competition for positions.
This is said to have caused a drastic decrease in membership in regions such as Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and Chris Hani.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane yesterday confirmed the national officials would be at Calata House on Sunday “to assess the state of the ANC in the affected regions”. The visit will take place over two days.
The last time top ANC leaders visited the province, they disbanded the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
Zuma has been in Russia for a Brics summit, which ends today.
Mabuyane said the PEC called the meeting because the provincial leadership was concerned about the trend of individual ANC members bypassing them and lodging complaints and disputes directly with Luthuli House.
Nontshinga yesterday said complainants felt some regional leaders were being protected by the PEC by virtue of serving as its ex-officio members.
“What is the point of reporting a dispute with the REC to the PEC when you know no action will be taken? We opted to go to the national office,” said Nontshinga.
Mabuyane disputed they were protecting anyone.
“We have made a ruling on several disputes and asked that BGMs be reconvened. Rushing to national office is tantamount to rendering the PEC incompetent to oversee the province. We can’t allow that. We resolved to invite the officials to come and discuss these issues here,” he said.
The Zuma-led team will meet the PEC, followed by the regional executives of BCM, OR Tambo, Alfred Nzo and Joe Gqabi, as well as the regional task team of Chris Hani in Queenstown, Mabuyane confirmed.
“The PEC wants to talk to the officials and discuss our concerns about this trend because it is not as if we are taking sides.
“We address all these issues and where there are gaps, we instruct the BGMs to be redone.
“But when the outcome doesn’t suit certain individuals, they bypass the province and lodge a complaint directly to national.”
All five regions, including Amathole, are due to hold elective conferences. However, the conferences have been shelved several times due to the disputes. The latest to be shelved is OR Tambo’s, which was due this weekend.
Mabuyane said the Sunday meeting is to afford the leadership of all the affected regions to present the state of their regions directly to the top five ANC leaders.
“We want people to raise all their issues directly to the leadership so we can find solutions once and for all.”
Zuma to zoom in on factions
The allegations surfaced as the two regions prepared for their elective conferences.
Disgruntled members took their disputes directly to the ruling party’s national headquarters, Luthuli House, bypassing the Eastern Cape leadership.
In Buffalo City, five ANC members registered complaints directly with Duarte while some OR Tambo and Joe Gqabi regional leaders complained to Luthuli House on how conference preparations were being managed.
Among the complaints was one from BCM’s Washington Bongco branch executive committee (BEC) member Xolani Nontshinga. He accused his branch secretary of working with suspended regional secretary Pumlani Mkolo to inflate branch membership and sway results in their favour.
The Saturday Dispatch recently revealed how membership forms signed by a bank official had dates contradictory to when certain members actually signed up. It was believed the forms were being backdated to enable new members to vote. The party requires individuals to have been members for six months before they can do so.
Mkolo has been on special leave since May for his alleged involvement in factional divisions but he has not yet been charged.
The outcomes of Duarte’s investigation into the rigging claims are yet to be made public despite it having been discussed at an ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) meeting last Friday.
ANC regions in the province have also battled gatekeeping allegations. Some branch secretaries stand accused of wrongly disqualifying members who qualify to vote at BGMs to eliminate competition for positions.
This is said to have caused a drastic decrease in membership in regions such as Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and Chris Hani.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane yesterday confirmed the national officials would be at Calata House on Sunday “to assess the state of the ANC in the affected regions”. The visit will take place over two days.
The last time top ANC leaders visited the province, they disbanded the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
Zuma has been in Russia for a Brics summit, which ends today.
Mabuyane said the PEC called the meeting because the provincial leadership was concerned about the trend of individual ANC members bypassing them and lodging complaints and disputes directly with Luthuli House.
Nontshinga yesterday said complainants felt some regional leaders were being protected by the PEC by virtue of serving as its ex-officio members.
“What is the point of reporting a dispute with the REC to the PEC when you know no action will be taken? We opted to go to the national office,” said Nontshinga.
Mabuyane disputed they were protecting anyone.
“We have made a ruling on several disputes and asked that BGMs be reconvened. Rushing to national office is tantamount to rendering the PEC incompetent to oversee the province. We can’t allow that. We resolved to invite the officials to come and discuss these issues here,” he said.
The Zuma-led team will meet the PEC, followed by the regional executives of BCM, OR Tambo, Alfred Nzo and Joe Gqabi, as well as the regional task team of Chris Hani in Queenstown, Mabuyane confirmed.
“The PEC wants to talk to the officials and discuss our concerns about this trend because it is not as if we are taking sides.
“We address all these issues and where there are gaps, we instruct the BGMs to be redone.
“But when the outcome doesn’t suit certain individuals, they bypass the province and lodge a complaint directly to national.”
All five regions, including Amathole, are due to hold elective conferences. However, the conferences have been shelved several times due to the disputes. The latest to be shelved is OR Tambo’s, which was due this weekend.
Mabuyane said the Sunday meeting is to afford the leadership of all the affected regions to present the state of their regions directly to the top five ANC leaders.
“We want people to raise all their issues directly to the leadership so we can find solutions once and for all.”
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