Plans to elect new ANC leaders in the Dr WB Rubusana region are under threat, following re-submission of appeals for the handling of several branch meetings.
The Daily Dispatch can reveal today that of the nine branches that lodged complaints about how the BGMs were handled, seven were resolved. BGMs are meetings where nominations of new leaders and election of delegates get discussed.
ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi said six branches re-submitted their complaints.
“At this stage I can safely say the only threat to the Rubusana conference convening this weekend are these appeals. But it is an ANC process and so we have to resolve them,” said Ngcukayitobi.Another region which received clearance to hold an elective conference this weekend was Chris Hani in Komani. Ngcukayitobi said Chris Hani’s elections looks set to be held on Friday as “only a few outstanding branches which are very small, are being verified”.
Chris Hani, Rubusana, OR Tambo in Mthatha and Sarah Baartman in Port Alfred all qualified to elect new leaders by end of August. However, this was also dependent on at least 70% of the branches in each region convening successful branch general meetings by last Sunday’s cut-off. Also expected to fill vacancies in the regional executive committee is the Alfred Nzo region.
Ngcukayitobi said the Mbizana-based region “is also ready to hold its regional general council on Saturday. They have met all the basic requirements”. The Alfred Nzo RGC will see a new incumbent elected to fill the vacancy Babalo Madikizela left last October when he was promoted to become the ANC’s provincial treasurer.
Pre-registration for the Rubusana conference was done on Tuesday, a process which allows all branches who held undisputed BGMs to go and register their delegates.
Ngcukayitobi confirmed on Tuesday that nine Rubusana branches officially lodged disputes and seven of them were resolved. However, “for some reason, six branches re-submitted their appeals, and that is the only threat to the BCM meeting”, he added.
Crippling these meetings are factional fights over who is to be nominated to lead, wherein those in control of the membership forms would allegedly disappear with the membership forms when they realise that their candidate would not make it. This saw, for example, a Ward 2 branch meeting in Duncan Village being adjourned at least three times and in one instance members had to wait at the community hall until early morning, but for some reason the lights went off and in the darkness, after membership forms disappeared without trace.The branch which includes parts of Duncan Village and Toilet City, tried again to sit on Sunday, but failed. The branch is divided between those who want BCM mayor Xola Pakati to contest for a second term as chairman, while others want the outgoing secretary Pumlani Mkolo to replace Pakati. There is also talk of a third way, which might see Sindile Toni, the current REC member, taking over as regional chairman.
Acting Rubusana secretary Mkhawuleli Maleki said even though he is not in a better position to comment on contents of the disputes “as they are registered with the provincial office, not the region which facilitated the meetings, I can safely say it is important to resolve the disputes before the conference can sit because if we don’t, that can compromise its credibility,” said Maleki.
OR Tambo region is in an even worse of position, as they have not met the required 50% cut and verification of BGMs is still ongoing “We will know once we have dealt with verification whether OR Tambo is ready for conference or not,” said Ngcukayitobi...