Cape Town - Tensions at a recent leadership conference of the South African National Civil Organisation (Sanco), which saw its president, Richard Mdakana, being escorted by police, was put on ice pending the outcome of a national executive committee meeting to be held in Joburg on Friday.
Rival factions within the organisation clashed at Pollsmoor prison on Saturday. At least 100 members led by Sanco’s provincial task team were set to “mend rifts” in the organisation but were locked outside of the prison’s gates instead.
Task team co-ordinator Andile Ndevu on monday addressed the media at the ANC’s headquarters at Sahara House in the city. He explained the details relating to the scuffle which saw the organisation’s president being escorted by police.
He said the task team has “always been firm” that the issues which led to the “collapse” of September’s conference had not been resolved. He said emotions were still high within Sanco structures.
Sanco’s sixth provincial electoral conference to elect the executive leadership for the Western Cape had been postponed twice this year, leaving it without provincial leadership for almost two years.
Ndevu said: “Our view was that, should the provincial electoral conference take place on November 21 (last Saturday), there could be anarchy that would threaten people’s lives given the tensions existing within branches. However, our recommendations to the national executive committee were seriously ignored.”
He said for the task team, it was “deeply concerning” that there was a group within Sanco which “abused” its direct access to the president and general secretary and were briefing the national executive committee and advising it to go ahead with the provincial electoral conference.
“Because we highly respect the national executive committee’s decision, we agreed that we are going to comply with the decision given the prevailing circumstances on the ground. The task team convened a meeting on November 18 to work on the logistics of the conference,” Ndevu said.
He said he was “surprised” to read updated social media statuses that announced that a leadership had been elected despite the involvement of the task team.
He was adamant that the organisation would not proceed with electing leaders until a proper process had been followed, starting with the national executive committee meeting to be held in Joburg on Friday.
Cape Argus
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