Just a few months before the local government elections, ANC branches in the OR Tambo region appear to be in turmoil.Police had to be called on November 22 when ANC members almost came to blows at a ward 23 meeting in Mhlontlo, with some allegedly manhandling a regional executive committee (REC) deployee after he allegedly refused to postpone a meeting that had started seven hours’ late.
In ward 8 in the same sub-region, armed security guards allegedly gatecrashed a meeting where ward candidates for the 2016 local government elections were being elected.
The guards were chased away by the community, who believed they were sent by the REC.
Members of ward 24 in Mhlontlo and ward 24 in Nyandeni have lodged disputes with the ANC secretary-general’s office about the legitimacy of their leadership.
They alleged that during the annual general meetings and branch general meetings (BGMs), some names that appeared on the attendance registers included those of dead people. The Daily Dispatch has seen both registers.
Problems in the various wards were raised by ANC branch members, who requested anonymity as they are not permitted to speak to the media. They said they allowed BGMs to continue as they did not want to “disturb ANC processes”.
Other members complained that they had not been accepted in their new branches after the delimitation of wards resulted in them moving to other wards.
Gcobani Mgubuli, who was chairman of ward 15, which includes Qumbu and its surrounding villages, said he moved to ward 23 when his village’s borders were redrawn by the demarcation board. He said attempts to hold a meeting to consolidate the new members had been futile.
Instead, he alleged, the new membership had been met with disdain by those in the new ward.
OR Tambo regional secretary Lulama Ngcukayithobi said the ANC audited and consolidated all branches and there was a team of auditors to deal with disputes.
“No branch has been convened without being realigned and membership being consolidated.”
Responding to Mgubuli’s complaint, Ngcukayithobi said the ward he had been moved to had not yet convened.
“We know ...there are hooligans out there physically assault members of the ANC and disrupt ANC members; such hooligans are ... used by people who are not satisfied with the outcomes of the regional conference. Their activities and names are known and we have made security arrangements to arrest this anomaly.”
Ngcukayithobi said “our programme on the BGMs is on course and proceeding very well”. — abongilem@dispatch.co.za
Rift erupts in ANC branches
Police had to be called on November 22 when ANC members almost came to blows at a ward 23 meeting in Mhlontlo, with some allegedly manhandling a regional executive committee (REC) deployee after he allegedly refused to postpone a meeting that had started seven hours’ late.
In ward 8 in the same sub-region, armed security guards allegedly gatecrashed a meeting where ward candidates for the 2016 local government elections were being elected.
The guards were chased away by the community, who believed they were sent by the REC.
Members of ward 24 in Mhlontlo and ward 24 in Nyandeni have lodged disputes with the ANC secretary-general’s office about the legitimacy of their leadership.
They alleged that during the annual general meetings and branch general meetings (BGMs), some names that appeared on the attendance registers included those of dead people. The Daily Dispatch has seen both registers.
Problems in the various wards were raised by ANC branch members, who requested anonymity as they are not permitted to speak to the media. They said they allowed BGMs to continue as they did not want to “disturb ANC processes”.
Other members complained that they had not been accepted in their new branches after the delimitation of wards resulted in them moving to other wards.
Gcobani Mgubuli, who was chairman of ward 15, which includes Qumbu and its surrounding villages, said he moved to ward 23 when his village’s borders were redrawn by the demarcation board. He said attempts to hold a meeting to consolidate the new members had been futile.
Instead, he alleged, the new membership had been met with disdain by those in the new ward.
OR Tambo regional secretary Lulama Ngcukayithobi said the ANC audited and consolidated all branches and there was a team of auditors to deal with disputes.
“No branch has been convened without being realigned and membership being consolidated.”
Responding to Mgubuli’s complaint, Ngcukayithobi said the ward he had been moved to had not yet convened.
“We know ...there are hooligans out there physically assault members of the ANC and disrupt ANC members; such hooligans are ... used by people who are not satisfied with the outcomes of the regional conference. Their activities and names are known and we have made security arrangements to arrest this anomaly.”
Ngcukayithobi said “our programme on the BGMs is on course and proceeding very well”. — abongilem@dispatch.co.za
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