The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) in the party’s Amathole region has failed for a second time this year to elect its regional leadership.
This after the alleged failure of delegates to reach a quorum for their weekend conference at Fort Hare in Alice, as stipulated in the league’s constitution.
This was confirmed by ANCYL provincial secretary Butsha Lali, who said the league’s provincial branch would meet “soon” to determine a new date for the aborted conference.
The region, which has been struggling to hold an elective conference since last year, was nearly left out of participating in the league’s provincial conference last October as they failed to meet the required threshold of 70% of audited branches.
Lali said Sunday’s conference, which was meant to start at midday, had to be aborted around 1am yesterday after they realised a quorum could not be formed.
Ninety of 127 branches had passed audit and close to 190 voting delegates, two from each branch, had been expected.
Lali’s reasons for why the conference was aborted were contradicted by various sources who spoke to Daily Dispatch on condition of anonymity yesterday. Many said it was due to chaos over who had the right to vote.
Sources say delegates from Amathole’s six sub-regions had to leave the venue after there was no agreement on the list of voting delegates attending. Some complained about “ghost delegates”.
A delegate from the Mbhashe sub-region said they had arrived at the venue just after midday on Sunday to find leaders locked in a meeting.
“We were just left standing outside the venue while leaders were locked in a lengthy meeting without anyone even coming to explain what was happening.
“We sat there until it was dark, with some of us with no food as people were fed according to which faction they supported. Later lights went off on campus and we decided to drive into Alice town.
“When we returned in a couple of taxis, we were prevented from entering the university premises,” the source said.
His comrade from Great Kei said there was chaos over who was eligible to vote, with some branches having up to four delegates instead of two.
Lali denied this account.
Police spokeswoman Lt Siphokazi Mawisa confirmed police had to be called to keep order. “But they solved it themselves without police intervention.” — asandan@dispatch.co.za