ANC ensures hopefuls are fit for office

Published May 30, 2016

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Johannesburg - Scores of ANC ward councillor hopefuls braved Sunday’s cool autumn weather and queued outside the party’s Luthuli House headquarters in Joburg to be vetted for the municipal elections.

This took place despite some unhappiness about irregularities in the nomination process, which saw disgruntled ANC members from the Northern Cape and North West protesting outside the St George's Hotel in Pretoria on Friday.

This was the venue where the ruling party held its national list conference to finalise the names of the candidates who will represent it at the polls.

On Sunday, SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) general secretary Skhumbuzo Mpanza said they were disappointed that processes leading up to the national list conference had been marred by “acts of violence, intimidation, disruptions and manipulation of nomination meetings”.

For the “shameful acts” he blamed self-serving factionalists who sought to further their personal interests and patronage and “not to advance a community development agenda”.

Sanco was, however, “relatively happy” with efforts to ensure that the outcome of the national list conference represented the wishes of the communities by meeting the 50/50 gender parity, 20 percent youth representation and the 60 percent “continuity guidelines”.

ANC members from the Ngaka Modiri Molema region in North West, Lucky Rakgoale and Itumeleng Kgabi, told The Star they were impressed with the nomination process, saying it affirmed the ANC’s internal democratic processes.

“The ANC is a democratic organisation. All doubts that the communities were having about the nomination process have been long cleared. We are also in support of the vetting process because it’s meant to screen the candidates of any criminal records to protect the ANC’s integrity,” they said.

Meanwhile, in a move seen as breaking away from the former liberation movement’s tradition, the ANC was on Sunday expected to announce its mayoral candidates for the country’s eight metropolitan municipalities.

Contacted for comment on Sunday, ANC national spokesman Zizi Kodwa said the final list was still being discussed at a meeting of the party’s national executive committee, held after the list conference at the weekend.

The Star reported last week that the City of Tshwane is set to have a new mayoral candidate in ANC regional deputy chairman Mapiti Matsena, after incumbent mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa failed to make the party’s mayoral candidate list for the capital list.

Six names were reportedly being lobbied for Ekurhuleni metro, including that of ANC regional chairman and Deputy Trade and Industry Minister Mzwandile Masina, to succeed mayor Mondli Gungubele.

Soccer administrator Danny Jordaan was reportedly set to be mayoral candidate for the Nelson Mandela Bay metro in the Eastern Cape, where the party’s support has been declining. He is the incumbent.

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@luyolomkentane

The Star

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