Twenty-Six rebel ANC members yesterday registered as independent candidates for the local government elections at the IEC offices in East London.
The rebel group was supposed to be 30-strong, but there was drama late yesterday when four, plus two members of the Pan Africanist Movement and one PAC member, were prevented from registering as candidates.
They were ordered out of the IEC offices by at least four police officers, apparently when the clock hit 5pm.
Angry would-be ANC independent candidate Mandisa Nase, of Ward 39, said: “I had already paid my required R1000. I had proof of payment and my application forms. But the IEC officials told us they do not work after 5pm, so they called police on us.”
He said all four had paid their R1000 and had no idea if they would get it back.
The breakaway has been blamed on factional fights in the ANC’s Dr WB Rubusana region, which now seem set to spill over into the ballot box.
However, the Dispatch was told that the rebels were list candidates who were put forward by the majority of the branch, but ousted by higher structures “imposing” candidates.
The number of rebel candidates could be higher. There were unconfirmed reports late yesterday that ANC members in at least one other area in the province were also registering as independents.
Yesterday the Dispatch saw outside the IEC that the 30 rebels were from different wards in the troubled region.
The Dispatch learned that these are mostly ANC members disgruntled over the processes of choosing the region’s ANC councillor list.
They have held many protests at ANC regional and provincial offices.
In one, earlier this year, they marched to the Mdantsane branch of a bank after a Dispatch investigation exposed an ANC scam involving backdated membership forms. The dates on the deposit slips did not match the dates on the membership forms, a piece of chicanery that gave some members voting and delegation rights they were not entitled to.
The members who were demonstrating have since been suspended and called before an provincial disciplinary committee. The Dispatch understands that they will appear again before the committee on Sunday.
When the Dispatch arrived at the IEC’s Vincent office ANC members were queueing inside to get their names registered. The members were from many of the wards, including wards 1, 2, 10, 14, 15, 17, 20, 24, 26, 32, 33, 38, 39, 40, 44 and 45.
Sinazo Tsonono of Ward 15, which is inside the newly demarcated ward boundaries, told the Dispatch that the members were tired of being bullied by regional and provincial leaders.
“The ANC treated us badly and did not attend to our grievances. We’ve marched, written to leadership and lodged disputes but no one helps us.
“So now we took a decision to come here and register the people’s choice.”
Another party member from Ward 1 claimed some of them were being “sabotaged” by the IEC which told them they did not have enough signatories on their forms.
“I submitted my forms on Wednesday with 80 signatories, which is more than the 50 required. On Wednesday night they called me saying I had 48. So I questioned how is that possible and they said two names are invalid.
“These people are just sabotaging us because they are ANC people and they see that the number of independent candidates is growing,” he said.
The IEC’s Pearl Ngoza said his problem had been sorted.
“In this case, only 48 signatories qualified as they are registered voters within the ward the independent candidate is contesting. The office notified the candidate to submit the 50 signatories and that was done.”
ANC member Nosipho Kavita of ward 10, who had just finished registering her name late yesterday, briefly spoke with the Dispatch saying that she was confident that she would emerge in her ward.
“I am a candidate wanted by the people. Hence we have came to register. We will take Ward 10,” she said before other ANC members prevented her from talking with the Dispatch.
Attempts to get comment from the ANC in the province and region were unsuccessful yesterday. — siphem@dispatch.co.za
ANC rebels register to tackle poll alone
The rebel group was supposed to be 30-strong, but there was drama late yesterday when four, plus two members of the Pan Africanist Movement and one PAC member, were prevented from registering as candidates.
They were ordered out of the IEC offices by at least four police officers, apparently when the clock hit 5pm.
Angry would-be ANC independent candidate Mandisa Nase, of Ward 39, said: “I had already paid my required R1000. I had proof of payment and my application forms. But the IEC officials told us they do not work after 5pm, so they called police on us.”
He said all four had paid their R1000 and had no idea if they would get it back.
The breakaway has been blamed on factional fights in the ANC’s Dr WB Rubusana region, which now seem set to spill over into the ballot box.
However, the Dispatch was told that the rebels were list candidates who were put forward by the majority of the branch, but ousted by higher structures “imposing” candidates.
The number of rebel candidates could be higher. There were unconfirmed reports late yesterday that ANC members in at least one other area in the province were also registering as independents.
Yesterday the Dispatch saw outside the IEC that the 30 rebels were from different wards in the troubled region.
The Dispatch learned that these are mostly ANC members disgruntled over the processes of choosing the region’s ANC councillor list.
They have held many protests at ANC regional and provincial offices.
In one, earlier this year, they marched to the Mdantsane branch of a bank after a Dispatch investigation exposed an ANC scam involving backdated membership forms. The dates on the deposit slips did not match the dates on the membership forms, a piece of chicanery that gave some members voting and delegation rights they were not entitled to.
The members who were demonstrating have since been suspended and called before an provincial disciplinary committee. The Dispatch understands that they will appear again before the committee on Sunday.
When the Dispatch arrived at the IEC’s Vincent office ANC members were queueing inside to get their names registered. The members were from many of the wards, including wards 1, 2, 10, 14, 15, 17, 20, 24, 26, 32, 33, 38, 39, 40, 44 and 45.
Sinazo Tsonono of Ward 15, which is inside the newly demarcated ward boundaries, told the Dispatch that the members were tired of being bullied by regional and provincial leaders.
“The ANC treated us badly and did not attend to our grievances. We’ve marched, written to leadership and lodged disputes but no one helps us.
“So now we took a decision to come here and register the people’s choice.”
Another party member from Ward 1 claimed some of them were being “sabotaged” by the IEC which told them they did not have enough signatories on their forms.
“I submitted my forms on Wednesday with 80 signatories, which is more than the 50 required. On Wednesday night they called me saying I had 48. So I questioned how is that possible and they said two names are invalid.
“These people are just sabotaging us because they are ANC people and they see that the number of independent candidates is growing,” he said.
The IEC’s Pearl Ngoza said his problem had been sorted.
“In this case, only 48 signatories qualified as they are registered voters within the ward the independent candidate is contesting. The office notified the candidate to submit the 50 signatories and that was done.”
ANC member Nosipho Kavita of ward 10, who had just finished registering her name late yesterday, briefly spoke with the Dispatch saying that she was confident that she would emerge in her ward.
“I am a candidate wanted by the people. Hence we have came to register. We will take Ward 10,” she said before other ANC members prevented her from talking with the Dispatch.
Attempts to get comment from the ANC in the province and region were unsuccessful yesterday. — siphem@dispatch.co.za
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