Women's League task team slams 'talk' of elective conference interference

The ANC Women's League national task team convener and party stalwart Baleka Mbete has slammed talk hinting at possible interference from the mother body ahead of the league's elective conference next week.

Briefing journalists on the state of readiness, the convener said it was premature to anticipate or caution against meddling from the mother body before the presentation of facts.

She said people should resist the temptation to “look at what's happening next door” and make assumptions from that about what will happen at the conference. 

“Let us look at the facts of the matter, the information presented [to you] and also ongoing conference deliberations,” she said.

Mbete said it was crucial to safeguard the integrity of process.

“Let us judge what happens in the interactions in the space and resist generic assumptions that colour how we understand and interpret what comes out of our interactions,” she said.

Mbete urged journalists to desist from entertaining talk about interference arising from the outcomes of the recently held Youth League conference and past conferences of the party's structures and to stick to the issues raised and presented by the task team.

“What happens during conference is the emergence of all kinds of manifestations of individual interests and forces at play. It's normal human behaviour. [We should] be focused on the integrity of the process,” she said.

Task team fundraiser Maqueen Letshoha-Mathale lambasted the idea that the mother body had a heavy hand in the league's upcoming electoral processes.

“We are members of the ANC first before we become members of the Women's League. We join the ANC first before we join the league. We are not expecting interference from the ANC, we are the ANC so we don't know which ANC are you referring to,” she said.

Letsoha-Mathale said the task team itself was appointed and not elected by the ruling party's NEC. She denied  claims that the elective conference would have a predetermined outcome.

“We are a national task team appointed by the ANC mother body. The ANC appointed this team, meaning we will always go back to the ANC to seek guidance and leadership. The structure of the Women's League is autonomous,” she said.

Task team co-ordinator Maropene Ramokgopa announced the weeklong postponement of the conference, to reportedly allow the task team to “iron out challenges raised by branches and attend to disputes and appeals raised by the league's structures”.

Despite the postponement, Mbete was confident that the task team was ready to elect its much-anticipated leadership.

“We can assure you that we took the opportunity raised by the secretary-general's office requesting to be convinced by the task team that we are ready for conference. 

“We looked at the reports given by the co-ordinator, and majority of what needed to be done to ensure that we hold a credible conference was done,” she said.

The fundraiser said the conference venue, registration venue and accommodation for the conference was secured.

“Only minor highlighted issues need to be sorted,” she said.

League heavyweight and deputy minister in the Presidency responsible for women, youth and people with disabilities Sisisi Tolashe is expected to go up against former social development minister and former Women's League president Bathabile Dlamini for the presidential position.

The event will make the league's 13th national elective conference on July 21. It will be convened under the theme “Consolidating, safeguarding and advancing decisive action towards liberation and emancipation of women”. 

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