An ANC faction in Buffalo City Metro region held a secret meeting in which Ayanda Matiti was officially pitted against current chair and former city mayor Zukiswa Faku.
The Matiti-led faction met at a lodge outside Gonubie on Saturday.
The group wants to “bridge the gap” it says was created by “so-called ANC regional leaders with no moral high ground” in the party.
They are gearing to challenge the status quo when the embattled region hosts its much-anticipated elective conference next month.
The group says the incumbents, a collective led by Faku and regional secretary Phumlani Mkolo, are denting the image of the ANC and creating distance between the party and people on the ground.
About 150 ANC supporters from four BCM clusters – East London, King Williams Town, Mdantsane and Duncan Village – met this weekend in secret to throw their weight behind Matiti, who aims to whip the chair out from under Faku.
The meeting, which went on until well after midnight, was held at Holy Hill Lodge outside Gonubie. Present were various serving BCM councillors, former councillors, and branch and regional members of the ANC and its youth, women's and veterans’ leagues.
The main address was given by Matiti’s close confidante and former ANC Youth League’s provincial secretary Mziwonke Ndabeni.
Some regional leaders “needed to be ousted because they are in the pockets of business people at the expense of the masses and to the detriment of service delivery in the region”, he said, adding it was a shame that current BCM regional leaders were in court facing various corruption related charges.
Mkolo and the party’s regional treasurer Temba Tinta are in court in relation to the R6-million BCM Mandela memorial scandal, while Faku still faces charges of abusing BCM’s credit card when she was mayor.
“It’s a shame that some of our regional leaders are in court for corruption. It cannot be that 20 years into democracy, the ANC is seen in such a light in BCM because of parasitic bourgeoisie, those who can’t survive if municipal coffers are not there for them to loot,” said Ndabeni, adding a change of leadership was critical “as the state of the ANC in the region was of serious concern”.
“The reality is that there is a distance between the ANC and the masses and with the change of leadership, we want to fill the void left by these so called ANC regional leaders,” Ndabeni said.
Matiti was then unveiled as “the face of this renewal campaign” who would challenge Faku in the polls.
The four clusters then submitted 10 names each of candidates for the 25-member regional executive, should the faction succeed in toppling the Faku-led collective.
Matiti is a former ANCYL provincial chairman.
The names raised included those of former MPLs Grant Snell and Joe Jordan, BCM councillors Ayanda Peter, Monwabisi Mahodi and Sakhumzi Caga, former councillor Crosby Kolela and party activists Mxolisi Qebeyi, Mashwabada Gcilitshana, Lindelwa Maxhegwana, Yongama James and Princess Faku. Some were not at the weekend meeting. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
Knives out for Faku faction
The Matiti-led faction met at a lodge outside Gonubie on Saturday.
The group wants to “bridge the gap” it says was created by “so-called ANC regional leaders with no moral high ground” in the party.
They are gearing to challenge the status quo when the embattled region hosts its much-anticipated elective conference next month.
The group says the incumbents, a collective led by Faku and regional secretary Phumlani Mkolo, are denting the image of the ANC and creating distance between the party and people on the ground.
About 150 ANC supporters from four BCM clusters – East London, King Williams Town, Mdantsane and Duncan Village – met this weekend in secret to throw their weight behind Matiti, who aims to whip the chair out from under Faku.
The meeting, which went on until well after midnight, was held at Holy Hill Lodge outside Gonubie. Present were various serving BCM councillors, former councillors, and branch and regional members of the ANC and its youth, women's and veterans’ leagues.
The main address was given by Matiti’s close confidante and former ANC Youth League’s provincial secretary Mziwonke Ndabeni.
Some regional leaders “needed to be ousted because they are in the pockets of business people at the expense of the masses and to the detriment of service delivery in the region”, he said, adding it was a shame that current BCM regional leaders were in court facing various corruption related charges.
Mkolo and the party’s regional treasurer Temba Tinta are in court in relation to the R6-million BCM Mandela memorial scandal, while Faku still faces charges of abusing BCM’s credit card when she was mayor.
“It’s a shame that some of our regional leaders are in court for corruption. It cannot be that 20 years into democracy, the ANC is seen in such a light in BCM because of parasitic bourgeoisie, those who can’t survive if municipal coffers are not there for them to loot,” said Ndabeni, adding a change of leadership was critical “as the state of the ANC in the region was of serious concern”.
“The reality is that there is a distance between the ANC and the masses and with the change of leadership, we want to fill the void left by these so called ANC regional leaders,” Ndabeni said.
Matiti was then unveiled as “the face of this renewal campaign” who would challenge Faku in the polls.
The four clusters then submitted 10 names each of candidates for the 25-member regional executive, should the faction succeed in toppling the Faku-led collective.
Matiti is a former ANCYL provincial chairman.
The names raised included those of former MPLs Grant Snell and Joe Jordan, BCM councillors Ayanda Peter, Monwabisi Mahodi and Sakhumzi Caga, former councillor Crosby Kolela and party activists Mxolisi Qebeyi, Mashwabada Gcilitshana, Lindelwa Maxhegwana, Yongama James and Princess Faku. Some were not at the weekend meeting. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos