KwaZulu-Natal - The biggest ANC region in the country, eThekwini – a key region for President Jacob Zuma’s second-term ambition – has been rocked by infighting, allegations of vote-rigging and the deliberate exclusion of some branch members.
The region has allegedly inflated its membership figures with ghost members and deliberately sidelined senior party leaders seen as anti-Zuma from branch general meetings and voters rolls.
Those apparently marginalised included fired police commissioner General Bheki Cele, who is believed to have joined the anti-Zuma forces after his sacking early this year.
Ironically, Cele is the region’s former chairman and one-time Zuma ally in KwaZulu-Natal.
Cele on Sunday confirmed that his name did not appear on the voters roll of his ward 74 branch in Lamontville.
However, he saw nothing sinister in his exclusion and blamed “inefficient administration”.
Cele said he had asked his branch secretary to take up the matter with regional secretary Bheki Ntshangase.
Ntshangase on Sunday denied all allegations levelled at him and the regional leadership.
He said there were many reasons why names could be left off the voters roll, including “human error”.
Other reasons were that the person was not a “member in good standing” when the audit was done.
He would have to investigate the Cele matter before making any comment on it.
According to some branch leaders, some regional leaders forged or allowed signatures to be forged in instances where pro-Zuma branches could form a quorum to nominate leaders.
In terms of the ANC’s constitution, a branch meeting must have more than 50 percent of its members present for it to proceed with nomination of leaders and delegates to represent it at an elective conference.
Questions have also been raised about the large contingent of metro police officers who were deployed to oversee branch general meetings and the many “new” members that even branch leadership do not recognise.
Allegations of vote-rigging and ghost membership ahead of the December national conference in Mangaung have been so widespread that some branches have now demanded an audit of the signatures to ensure their authenticity.
The problem is believed to have been compounded by infighting between pro- and anti-Zuma regional executive committee (REC) members aligned with rival factions. The factions are led by regional chairman and provincial Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo and Nhlakanipho Ntombela, who recently lost the chair to Dhlomo.
Some branches said their meetings were delayed because REC members on the Ntombela slate had not been assigned to oversee any meetings.
While the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has repeatedly accused unnamed rivals of trying to use Cele’s name to divide the party and influence the outcome of branch nominations, they appear to be reluctant to share a public platform with him or allow him access to structures.
At least two gatherings in which Cele was to share the stage with KZN ANC secretary Sihle Zikalala, among others, were suddenly cancelled during the year.
On Saturday, Cele and Zikalala were scheduled to address a “celebrate eThekwini” municipal public lecture in Lamontville, which would have focused on local struggle veterans.
Zikalala called it off, apparently at the request of Ntshangase. He has refused to give reasons for his decision.
Some ANC members believe their members and branches that failed to support Ntshangase in previous regional elections are being sidelined.
The Mercury