Rubusana ANC plea for extension turned down

Eastern Cape ANC bosses on Thursday turned down an appeal by Dr WB Rubusana regional leaders to extend Friday’s deadline to convene an elective regional conference, saying such powers rested with Luthuli House.

The provincial executive committee (PEC) also deployed provincial leaders to O R Tambo as well as Sarah Baartman to oversee last minute preparations for the elective meetings. Rubusana was scheduled to elect new leaders a week ago but could not because of disputes.

In a letter dated August 29, ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi informed the Xola Pakati-led Rubusana that: “The PEC is not empowered to grant any extension on the national deadline, therefore, the office of the provincial secretary has deployed PEC members to reinforce on the preparation for the Dr Rubusana regional conference.”

Rubusana’s elective meeting hinges on four branches which lodged appeals.

But Ngcukayitobi assured the outgoing Rubusana regional leadership that NEC deployees had “indicated that they would be able to attend to the four appeals by the Thursday deadline”.

While there are still doubts over the O R Tambo and Rubusana conference, the Sarah Baartman meeting started on

Thursday.

The party’s programme shows that deputy provincial chair Mlungisi Mvoko was in Sarah Baartman, Ngcukayitobi and provincial treasurer Babalo Madikizela were deployed to Buffalo City while provincial chair Lubabalo Mabuyane was deployed to O R Tambo .

Some Dr WB Rubusana ANC members threatened legal action last week had the conference went ahead.

“In respect of the correspondence raising a matter of litigation, it is expected that the Dr Rubusana PEC appeals team and PEC deployees will meet with the author of the correspondence to clarify his concerns,” said Ngcukayitobi.

“However, as the author failed to submit an appeal it does not have bearing in the readiness for the region to convene its conference.”