THE ANC’s Amathole region might not hold an elective conference this month.
In fact, ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane said the region might not even be able to sit before the party’s provincial conference in June. “But that will be finalised by the provincial executive committee (PEC) in the next few weeks.”
The region has been struggling to convene properly constituted branch general meetings (BGMs) for its 124 branches for over two years now.
The region, whose leaders campaigned for leadership change in Mangaung, has been left out in the cold for some time. While the province’s seven other regions elected leaders before the party’s national conference in Mangaung in December, Amathole did not.
Mabuyane said the region had shown a dramatic increase in membership from 18000 to 30000 according to the latest audits, which makes it the second biggest region in the province after OR Tambo.
But only 10 of the 103 branches that passed the audit have held successful BGMs and elected new branch leaders in preparation for the conference, he said. “The question is, if it is now March, and only 10 branches have quorated, will they be able to do the rest by June?”
This comes a day after Mabuyane confirmed 58 ANC members from the region had been suspended for five years over an incident in February 2011, when a crowd attacked provincial party leaders including Mabuyane.
But Crosby Kolela, who was among the Amathole members suspended , labelled the action a witch hunt to “disorganise” the March conference. “The province doesn’t have numbers on the ground. Now they want to disorganise Amathole by suspending strategic members across sub-regions,” said Kolela.
He said at the heart of the sanctions were the controversial Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma rulings, which could push more than 160 ANC councillors out in the cold if they failed to convince branches they were legitimately elected.
An investigation was ordered by President Jacob Zuma following a mushrooming of independent candidates.
In most cases Dlamini-Zuma recommended branch meetings be re-run, including Kolela’s Ward 25.
“The province wants to silence anyone who questions the Dlamini-Zuma report’s findings,” said Kolela.
Mabuyane denied the delays were of the PEC’s making. “ Remember, delegates to a provincial conference are elected at branch level,” he said. —
Amathole’s game plan in disarray again
In fact, ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane said the region might not even be able to sit before the party’s provincial conference in June. “But that will be finalised by the provincial executive committee (PEC) in the next few weeks.”
The region has been struggling to convene properly constituted branch general meetings (BGMs) for its 124 branches for over two years now.
The region, whose leaders campaigned for leadership change in Mangaung, has been left out in the cold for some time. While the province’s seven other regions elected leaders before the party’s national conference in Mangaung in December, Amathole did not.
Mabuyane said the region had shown a dramatic increase in membership from 18000 to 30000 according to the latest audits, which makes it the second biggest region in the province after OR Tambo.
But only 10 of the 103 branches that passed the audit have held successful BGMs and elected new branch leaders in preparation for the conference, he said. “The question is, if it is now March, and only 10 branches have quorated, will they be able to do the rest by June?”
This comes a day after Mabuyane confirmed 58 ANC members from the region had been suspended for five years over an incident in February 2011, when a crowd attacked provincial party leaders including Mabuyane.
But Crosby Kolela, who was among the Amathole members suspended , labelled the action a witch hunt to “disorganise” the March conference. “The province doesn’t have numbers on the ground. Now they want to disorganise Amathole by suspending strategic members across sub-regions,” said Kolela.
He said at the heart of the sanctions were the controversial Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma rulings, which could push more than 160 ANC councillors out in the cold if they failed to convince branches they were legitimately elected.
An investigation was ordered by President Jacob Zuma following a mushrooming of independent candidates.
In most cases Dlamini-Zuma recommended branch meetings be re-run, including Kolela’s Ward 25.
“The province wants to silence anyone who questions the Dlamini-Zuma report’s findings,” said Kolela.
Mabuyane denied the delays were of the PEC’s making. “ Remember, delegates to a provincial conference are elected at branch level,” he said. —
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