Durban - ANC provincial chairman Sihle Zikalala has warned members who have registered to contest the local government election as independent candidates that they will not be allowed back into the party.
Zikalala issued the warning when he addressed thousands of party supporters who packed the Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg for the party’s manifesto launch on Sunday, in an event attended by the top leadership, including President Jacob Zuma.
“Those who decide to be independent... after the elections they should know that they are gone out of the ANC.
“The ANC does not belong to individuals.
“It is not the ANC that joined us, but it is us who joined the ANC,” said Zikalala.
During the signing of the electoral code of conduct last week, the Electoral Commission revealed that there were more than 83 independent candidates in the province. Many were disgruntled ANC members who were not nominated to stand for the elections as councillors.
Zikalala also said the ANC had established a team that would work with the police to identify people involved in destroying property during protests over dissatisfaction with the nominations.
A number of ANC members had also been shot and killed in what were believed to be internal battles related to the nominations.
He said this had happened in Pietermaritzburg, Nongoma and Newcastle.
“We have seen in the recent weeks the killing of a number of comrades, starting in Nongoma where an ANC councillor, youth league deputy chairman in Emalahleni and the leadership of the ANC in Msunduzi’s Ward 12 and Ward 15 in Imbali were targeted.
“People who are killing other comrades are criminal elements. We cannot accept this,” he said.
Zuma urged residents who had not yet benefited from service provision to be patient as the government would soon provide for them.
“We have not turned our backs on you. We have not forgotten you at all. We will come to you. This is not done overnight because we are fixing problems that were created hundreds of years ago. We cannot fix it in just 20 years.
“The ANC would never rest when there are still people who go to bed on an empty stomach, who do not have houses, who do not have electricity, water and sanitation,” he said.
The Mercury