OR Tambo's newly elected ANC leadership has set itself the target of almost doubling membership by the end of this year.
Regional secretary Lulama Ngcukayithobi said current records showed that the region has 33000 members in good standing.
“We are going to go all out and recruit more people to join the ANC such that at least by the end of this year we can have 54000 members in this region and that will be almost double the figures we have currently,” said Ngcukayithobi.
The Saturday Dispatch reported two weeks ago that records showed that the ruling party’s membership nationwide had dropped from 1.2-million in 2012, to only just over 700000 in September 2015.
The Eastern Cape used to be the biggest province with OR Tambo being the biggest region countrywide.
But KwaZulu-Natal outclassed the Eastern Cape by sending the biggest delegation to the ANC’s Mangaung conference in December 2012. The Ethekwini region is now the biggest in the country.
One of the key reasons said to be behind the decreasing ANC membership numbers are factional battles which start at branch level. Those in power are often accused of gate keeping to avoid competition from the rival grouping.
Through this gate keeping, membership forms of those who support a rival faction go missing, in some instances the member is declared “not in good standing” and as a result is not able to take part in elective conferences.
“Our first priority will be to build unity within the region and then embark on a recruitment drive to increase our support base as we prepare for the 2016 local government elections,” said Ngcukayithobi.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane thanked the previous OR Tambo regional executive committee (REC) for organising a successful conference despite the challenges. “Indeed this is the second biggest region in the entire country, and to organise its conference was not going to be a simple task.
“The region can now be ready to kick- start its elections programme. The new leadership has a task to work with all branches and heed the call by its conference to unite OR Tambo region,” said Mabuyane.
Ngcukayithobi said another priority for the region would be to engage with the Phumulo Masualle-led provincial government to move with speed and make the Umzimvubu water project a reality.
“We are going to put pressure on the state to invest more in this project so that jobs can be created,” he said.
New ANC leadership has big plans for ORT
Regional secretary Lulama Ngcukayithobi said current records showed that the region has 33000 members in good standing.
“We are going to go all out and recruit more people to join the ANC such that at least by the end of this year we can have 54000 members in this region and that will be almost double the figures we have currently,” said Ngcukayithobi.
The Saturday Dispatch reported two weeks ago that records showed that the ruling party’s membership nationwide had dropped from 1.2-million in 2012, to only just over 700000 in September 2015.
The Eastern Cape used to be the biggest province with OR Tambo being the biggest region countrywide.
But KwaZulu-Natal outclassed the Eastern Cape by sending the biggest delegation to the ANC’s Mangaung conference in December 2012. The Ethekwini region is now the biggest in the country.
One of the key reasons said to be behind the decreasing ANC membership numbers are factional battles which start at branch level. Those in power are often accused of gate keeping to avoid competition from the rival grouping.
Through this gate keeping, membership forms of those who support a rival faction go missing, in some instances the member is declared “not in good standing” and as a result is not able to take part in elective conferences.
“Our first priority will be to build unity within the region and then embark on a recruitment drive to increase our support base as we prepare for the 2016 local government elections,” said Ngcukayithobi.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane thanked the previous OR Tambo regional executive committee (REC) for organising a successful conference despite the challenges. “Indeed this is the second biggest region in the entire country, and to organise its conference was not going to be a simple task.
“The region can now be ready to kick- start its elections programme. The new leadership has a task to work with all branches and heed the call by its conference to unite OR Tambo region,” said Mabuyane.
Ngcukayithobi said another priority for the region would be to engage with the Phumulo Masualle-led provincial government to move with speed and make the Umzimvubu water project a reality.
“We are going to put pressure on the state to invest more in this project so that jobs can be created,” he said.
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