With only seven days before new councillors are voted into office, angry ANC members from Cambridge township yesterday marched to the party’s Dr WB Rubusana regional offices to ask the party leadership to reconsider its decision to “impose” Rogers Relu upon them as their ward councillor candidate.
Noxolo Ntusi, who was leading the march, said that in their branch general meeting vote Relu came second to Mbulelo Vula, meaning branch members wanted Vula to be their representative.
“We consulted with this office (Rubusana) on the Ward 16 matter on a number of occasions but there has not been any solution.
“In the last meeting we were told that our situation will be looked at after August 3 and that to us is not satisfactory,” said Ntusi.
“The members started chanting anti-Relu songs from 10.30am but by midday they dispersed. They were not addressed by any ANC official, however, some employees of the party working inside the offices exchanged words with the protesters.”
Acting ANC regional secretary Mkhawuleli Maleki, who was at the ANC’s offices at the time of the march, said Ward 16 had a number of challenges. He said the community was divided into at least four groups, with each group having a different view.
“Even before the residents went to block the N2 some time in June we had already conducted four meetings with the community. In those meetings I was personally involved and I know some members of the regional executive were also involved but we found that the community members were not agreeing on who to take forward,” said Maleki.
In June, the same community came out in their hundreds and blockaded the N2 between East London and Mdantsane, disrupting the traffic flow, and demanding the ANC replace their ward candidate.
Maleki said the elections were just an event, but the ANC was an organisation which went beyond elections. “We are going to find a way to resolve those issues in that ward. In fact, there is a process in place that we are committed to finish even beyond these elections. That process will bring unity in that ward, ” said Maleki . — simthandilef@dispatch.co.za