Disgruntled ANC members in Buffalo City Metro (BCM) yesterday “hijacked” a platform created by a Kgalema Motlanthe-led committee to vent their anger on the ruling party.
ANC leader and social development MEC Nancy Sihlwayi, who attempted to address the more than 1000 people present, was booed off the stage.
They instead burst into song and Sihlwayi eventually left the podium after numerous attempts to let her speak failed.
Motlanthe and a panel of other influential politicians and academics have spent the last two days in East London hosting public hearings on how citizens feel about legislation developed since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
Instead of talking about issues relating to policy and legislation, many of those who made submissions yesterday opted to use the platform to vent frustrations with the ruling party.
They instead pleaded with Motlanthe to approach the ANC’s national leadership and relay a message that they wanted the party’s Dr WB Rubusana regional leadership and the provincial leadership disbanded.
They said failure to disband the two structures would lead to “the total demise” of the ANC in the region.
BCM ward 5 ANC member Monica Yindiya fired the first salvo, accusing the regional and provincial ANC leadership of being “divisive”.
She said if members were not vigilant, “the glory that our movement once enjoyed will soon be a thing of the past”.
She said some within the party had “compromised the wellbeing of the ANC by imposing councillor candidates that were not wanted in their communities.
“This will definitely destroy our organisation if it’s not addressed as a matter of urgency,” she said.
Ernest Pono from ward 32 pleaded with the Motlanthe panel to speak to the party’s leadership “so that the swearing-in of councillors in BCM does not take place until all the challenges within the ANC are resolved”.
Pono accused regional and national ANC leadership of sowing divisions.
He accused both ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe and spokesman Zizi Kodwa, and the region’s suspended secretary Pumlani Mkolo of “destroying the organisation”.
“Every time Mantashe and Zizi come down to hear our grievances here, they will go back to the national executive and say all is well in BCM … or rather the Mkolo region as we call it.
“That is why we call both of them ‘all is well’. This is despite a pile of letters that we had written to all the structures saying all was not well in BCM,” said Pono, who stood as an independent candidate during the recent local government elections.
Siziwe Daniso of ward 13 said the party had since “turned into an organisation of those only serious about politics of the stomach”.
She also reiterated the call for the disbandment of the region and provincial leadership, saying they had turned into “an ATM for those who are greedy”.
“Please fix things before all goes wrong in the movement, before the ANC is completely under siege.
“If this panel is genuine enough and concerned about the issues we are raising, then those councillors will not be sworn-in in BCM tomorrow ,” Daniso said.
Motlanthe said his panel would collect all grievances raised and present them to parliament and provincial legislatures’ speakers forum “so that they escalate those to the caucus of the political parties concerned”.
Sihlwayi yesterday refused to comment on the matter, and referred queries to her departmental spokesman Mzukisi Solani.
Solani confirmed her boss was booed off stage, but said it was “pure speculation” that the treatment she received had anything to do with infighting within the ANC.
“We believe people got agitated because she was going to eat into their time of public engagement.” — asandan@dispatch.co.za
lSee also page 9
Members vent anger on ANC
ANC leader and social development MEC Nancy Sihlwayi, who attempted to address the more than 1000 people present, was booed off the stage.
They instead burst into song and Sihlwayi eventually left the podium after numerous attempts to let her speak failed.
Motlanthe and a panel of other influential politicians and academics have spent the last two days in East London hosting public hearings on how citizens feel about legislation developed since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
Instead of talking about issues relating to policy and legislation, many of those who made submissions yesterday opted to use the platform to vent frustrations with the ruling party.
They instead pleaded with Motlanthe to approach the ANC’s national leadership and relay a message that they wanted the party’s Dr WB Rubusana regional leadership and the provincial leadership disbanded.
They said failure to disband the two structures would lead to “the total demise” of the ANC in the region.
BCM ward 5 ANC member Monica Yindiya fired the first salvo, accusing the regional and provincial ANC leadership of being “divisive”.
She said if members were not vigilant, “the glory that our movement once enjoyed will soon be a thing of the past”.
She said some within the party had “compromised the wellbeing of the ANC by imposing councillor candidates that were not wanted in their communities.
“This will definitely destroy our organisation if it’s not addressed as a matter of urgency,” she said.
Ernest Pono from ward 32 pleaded with the Motlanthe panel to speak to the party’s leadership “so that the swearing-in of councillors in BCM does not take place until all the challenges within the ANC are resolved”.
Pono accused regional and national ANC leadership of sowing divisions.
He accused both ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe and spokesman Zizi Kodwa, and the region’s suspended secretary Pumlani Mkolo of “destroying the organisation”.
“Every time Mantashe and Zizi come down to hear our grievances here, they will go back to the national executive and say all is well in BCM … or rather the Mkolo region as we call it.
“That is why we call both of them ‘all is well’. This is despite a pile of letters that we had written to all the structures saying all was not well in BCM,” said Pono, who stood as an independent candidate during the recent local government elections.
Siziwe Daniso of ward 13 said the party had since “turned into an organisation of those only serious about politics of the stomach”.
She also reiterated the call for the disbandment of the region and provincial leadership, saying they had turned into “an ATM for those who are greedy”.
“Please fix things before all goes wrong in the movement, before the ANC is completely under siege.
“If this panel is genuine enough and concerned about the issues we are raising, then those councillors will not be sworn-in in BCM tomorrow ,” Daniso said.
Motlanthe said his panel would collect all grievances raised and present them to parliament and provincial legislatures’ speakers forum “so that they escalate those to the caucus of the political parties concerned”.
Sihlwayi yesterday refused to comment on the matter, and referred queries to her departmental spokesman Mzukisi Solani.
Solani confirmed her boss was booed off stage, but said it was “pure speculation” that the treatment she received had anything to do with infighting within the ANC.
“We believe people got agitated because she was going to eat into their time of public engagement.” — asandan@dispatch.co.za
lSee also page 9
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