The Economic Freedom Fighters in the Eastern Cape successfully held four regional assemblies over the weekend, electing new leaders to quell difficulties that arose in the province over the past year.
Regional conferences convened on Saturday and yesterday in OR Tambo, Buffalo City Metro, Alfred Nzo and Joe Gqabi were in preparation for the party’s provincial people’s assembly.
In OR Tambo, the party boldly proclaimed that it had “weakened” the ANC due to infighting among the ruling party’s leaders.
The opposition party’s central command team member and interim regional convener Fana Mokoena made this statement at the regional conference in Qaukeni Village near Lusikisiki yesterday.
“I can confidently say that we have weakened the ANC significantly in the OR Tambo region…We have launched branches across the length and breadth of the Eastern Cape. We are taking the baton from where Nelson Mandela left off,” said Mokoena.
The new leadership in the various regions has a huge task to mend fragmented relations between party members, after popular EFF member of the provincial legislature (MPL) Themba Wele was suspended from his Bhisho seat pending an investigation into his conduct.
Because of infighting, the party has since delegated national command team member Mlungisi Rapolile to shepherd the party’s provincial structures until the provincial conference later this year.
On his arrival in the province early this year, Rapolile disbanded a task team that ran the party led by Vuyisile Schoeman and Simcelile Rubela.
Schoeman took over from Wele after he fell out of favour with party leaders in June last year. Since then, the party in the province has been marred by factionalism.
In one incident early this year, those in support of Wele stormed the party offices in King William’s Town and formed a parallel structure.
However, Rapolile has managed to defuse the tensions.
Wele’s fate as a party member and MPL rests on the EFF’s disciplinary committee, of which Rapolile is a member.
The provincial assembly was scheduled for the end of June, but due to unfinished audit reports, Rapolile said it had been rescheduled for July 4 and 5.
Rapolile presided over the Joe Gqabi assembly; he and EFF deputy secretary general Hlengiwe Hlophe also launched the BCM region. EFF MP Fana Mokeana convened the OR Tambo assembly.
In BCM, Chumani Matiwane was elected as the new chairperson and Thembinkosi Apleni as the regional secretary.
This week the party will be convening three more regional assemblies in Amathole, Cacadu and Chris Hani.
“On Monday we will have a war council to pass the audit report of these three and then subsequent to that we will have our provincial conference,” Rapolile said.
The party has already launched 400 branches across the province, with about 300 more to be launched after the provincial elective assembly. — siphem@dispatch.co.za
EFF chooses new leaders for East Cape
Regional conferences convened on Saturday and yesterday in OR Tambo, Buffalo City Metro, Alfred Nzo and Joe Gqabi were in preparation for the party’s provincial people’s assembly.
In OR Tambo, the party boldly proclaimed that it had “weakened” the ANC due to infighting among the ruling party’s leaders.
The opposition party’s central command team member and interim regional convener Fana Mokoena made this statement at the regional conference in Qaukeni Village near Lusikisiki yesterday.
“I can confidently say that we have weakened the ANC significantly in the OR Tambo region…We have launched branches across the length and breadth of the Eastern Cape. We are taking the baton from where Nelson Mandela left off,” said Mokoena.
The new leadership in the various regions has a huge task to mend fragmented relations between party members, after popular EFF member of the provincial legislature (MPL) Themba Wele was suspended from his Bhisho seat pending an investigation into his conduct.
Because of infighting, the party has since delegated national command team member Mlungisi Rapolile to shepherd the party’s provincial structures until the provincial conference later this year.
On his arrival in the province early this year, Rapolile disbanded a task team that ran the party led by Vuyisile Schoeman and Simcelile Rubela.
Schoeman took over from Wele after he fell out of favour with party leaders in June last year. Since then, the party in the province has been marred by factionalism.
In one incident early this year, those in support of Wele stormed the party offices in King William’s Town and formed a parallel structure.
However, Rapolile has managed to defuse the tensions.
Wele’s fate as a party member and MPL rests on the EFF’s disciplinary committee, of which Rapolile is a member.
The provincial assembly was scheduled for the end of June, but due to unfinished audit reports, Rapolile said it had been rescheduled for July 4 and 5.
Rapolile presided over the Joe Gqabi assembly; he and EFF deputy secretary general Hlengiwe Hlophe also launched the BCM region. EFF MP Fana Mokeana convened the OR Tambo assembly.
In BCM, Chumani Matiwane was elected as the new chairperson and Thembinkosi Apleni as the regional secretary.
This week the party will be convening three more regional assemblies in Amathole, Cacadu and Chris Hani.
“On Monday we will have a war council to pass the audit report of these three and then subsequent to that we will have our provincial conference,” Rapolile said.
The party has already launched 400 branches across the province, with about 300 more to be launched after the provincial elective assembly. — siphem@dispatch.co.za
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