ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe’s chances of making it to the deputy presidency received a much needed boost this weekend when a Mantashe-aligned group was elected to lead the OR Tambo region.
Xolile Nkompela scraped past former chairman Thandekile Sabisa (150 votes) by two votes.
The Nkompela-led group now has Ngquza’s Pat Mdingi as deputy chairman, Lulama Ngcukayithobi as secretary and Nyandeni’s Mesuli Ngqondwana as deputy secretary.
The position of treasurer was still to be re-canvassed at the time of writing as voting for Nomakhaya Ndakayi of Port St Johns and Zandile Mdoda was tied at 151 votes.
The much anticipated conference was not as chaotic as the region’s 2012 conference but was not entirely free of drama.
During the review of credentials, delegates disputed the presence of representatives from Ward 24 in Mhlontlo. They claimed the status of the branch was under appeal as the names of two dead people had been fraudulently included in attendance registers while 66 others who were said to be part of the branch annual general meeting (BAGM) and the branch general meeting (BGM) never attended.
The Daily Dispatch has seen copies of death certificates for Eunice Maqina and Mthotywa Botya, who are said to have attended the meetings this year. Botya died in September 2014 and Maqina three years ago.
Maqina’s son Mzimasi was shocked when told by the Daily Dispatch that his mother’s name had appeared on attendance registers for meetings held this year.
“My mother died in 2012. That is a lie. Whoever used her details was mischievous. I am standing in front of her grave as I speak to you now,” said Mzimasi.
Vuyelwa Botya, Mthotywa’s niece, confirmed that Botya died last year. “My uncle died in September last year, so he would not have been part of a meeting this year. I suspect it is people who wanted to increase their numbers for a meeting.”
The Dispatch has seen 14 police affidavits from members who appeared in the attendance registers saying they had never been part of those meetings.
A Ward 24 branch member who spoke to the Dispatch on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation said the branch had appealed to the regional, provincial and national structures and that they were surprised to see delegates from Ward 24 registering to attend the meeting.
“We presented the evidence to the deputy secretary-general and she said this matter must be looked into. We even had a member of the regional executive meeting with us and he said the matter would be followed up. Till now, nothing has been done. It came as a surprise to us that a branch that was still on appeal could have members at the meeting,” he said.
He added that the response from the provincial leadership at the meeting was that the audit had been signed off by Mantashe and therefore could not be disputed. The credentials were adopted despite the glaring discrepancy.
Provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane said: “I don’t know that, it’s the work of auditors. The report we got was that names who were alleged to be deceased were not in the attendance register.”
OR Tambo region elects new leadership
Xolile Nkompela scraped past former chairman Thandekile Sabisa (150 votes) by two votes.
The Nkompela-led group now has Ngquza’s Pat Mdingi as deputy chairman, Lulama Ngcukayithobi as secretary and Nyandeni’s Mesuli Ngqondwana as deputy secretary.
The position of treasurer was still to be re-canvassed at the time of writing as voting for Nomakhaya Ndakayi of Port St Johns and Zandile Mdoda was tied at 151 votes.
The much anticipated conference was not as chaotic as the region’s 2012 conference but was not entirely free of drama.
During the review of credentials, delegates disputed the presence of representatives from Ward 24 in Mhlontlo. They claimed the status of the branch was under appeal as the names of two dead people had been fraudulently included in attendance registers while 66 others who were said to be part of the branch annual general meeting (BAGM) and the branch general meeting (BGM) never attended.
The Daily Dispatch has seen copies of death certificates for Eunice Maqina and Mthotywa Botya, who are said to have attended the meetings this year. Botya died in September 2014 and Maqina three years ago.
Maqina’s son Mzimasi was shocked when told by the Daily Dispatch that his mother’s name had appeared on attendance registers for meetings held this year.
“My mother died in 2012. That is a lie. Whoever used her details was mischievous. I am standing in front of her grave as I speak to you now,” said Mzimasi.
Vuyelwa Botya, Mthotywa’s niece, confirmed that Botya died last year. “My uncle died in September last year, so he would not have been part of a meeting this year. I suspect it is people who wanted to increase their numbers for a meeting.”
The Dispatch has seen 14 police affidavits from members who appeared in the attendance registers saying they had never been part of those meetings.
A Ward 24 branch member who spoke to the Dispatch on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation said the branch had appealed to the regional, provincial and national structures and that they were surprised to see delegates from Ward 24 registering to attend the meeting.
“We presented the evidence to the deputy secretary-general and she said this matter must be looked into. We even had a member of the regional executive meeting with us and he said the matter would be followed up. Till now, nothing has been done. It came as a surprise to us that a branch that was still on appeal could have members at the meeting,” he said.
He added that the response from the provincial leadership at the meeting was that the audit had been signed off by Mantashe and therefore could not be disputed. The credentials were adopted despite the glaring discrepancy.
Provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane said: “I don’t know that, it’s the work of auditors. The report we got was that names who were alleged to be deceased were not in the attendance register.”
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