INLSA

ANC provincial secretary Sihle Zikalala. Picture: Bongiwe Mchunu

The ANC’s KwaZulu-Natal elective conference would be held in May this year, while the remaining four regional conferences would be held within the next two months, the party said on Monday.

Provincial secretary Sihle Zikalala said branches of the ANC would, from tomorrow, start holding their branch general meetings in preparation for the May conference.

It is at these meetings that the branches will deliberate on the names of candidates for positions at the conference, while also electing delegates for the conference.

The Moses Mabhida, eThekwini, OKhahlamba and Great-er KwaDukuza regions have yet to convene their conferences, with some of these having initially been scheduled for last year. In some areas tensions linked to bitter contestations for positions have been blamed for the delays.

But the ANC lekgotla held over the weekend warned that the leadership contest should not be discussed in a divisive manner, saying that unity and discipline remained the key pillars of the organisation.

Respect

“In this regard, ANC leadership issues should be left to ANC structures, and we call on other formations to respect the ANC approach on leadership matters,” Zikalala said.

He added that the lekgotla had also resolved that the province should work for unity in the ANC, especially in the run-up to the Mangaung conference in December.

“The serious divisions that preceded the Polokwane National Conference should not recur.”

He said this did not mean that there should be divergent views ahead of the conference, but that members should interact and engage on issues in a “dignified and mature” way.

Zikalala added that the ANC was careful not to engage in leadership discussions concerning other parties, and that they should do the same.

This was after the Young Communist League last week pronounced on the upcoming leadership contest in the ANC.