Police had their hands full on Thursday, keeping ANC supporters apart as disputes over the party’s controversial process of selecting local government election candidates threatened to escalate into pitched battles in several Durban townships.
ANC members in many areas have expressed unhappiness with those selected to represent their wards in the May 18 elections, and the party this week deployed senior officials to resolve disputes in affected areas.
In most instances, communities complained that the candidates placed on the nominations list were not the people they had chosen.
Communities had been asked to choose four candidates, who were then screened. The names then went to the ANC’s regional and provincial executive committees, where candidates were chosen and the lists were returned to the wards. However, ward committees found that their preferred candidates had been replaced in some cases.
Protests took place in areas that included Clermont, White City and Amaoti in Inanda, KwaMashu, Ntuzuma and on the South Coast.
On Thursday, police arrested 22 people in Clermont on public violence charges after residents emptied rubbish bins and burnt tyres on the main road.
In White City, Inanda, ANC members clashed over the selected candidate.
The group opposed to the candidate blocked a road and faced off against the candidate’s supporters.
The leader of the opposition group, Joseph Nzama, said they had communicated their concerns about alleged corrupt activities to regional and provincial structures.
“We have reported that he sold houses to people and that he has criminal cases opened against him. We have also complained about this to the mayor and the head of housing in the municipality, but nothing has been done,” he said.
Another opposition leader, Steven Qwabe, said the community was adamant that it did not want the man elected as councillor because he was corrupt.
“Despite all our efforts, his name was first on the list. We will not vote for a person who will not meet our needs,” he said.
Sibusiso Sityhale, deputy chairman of the branch, said the opposing group had selected an alternative candidate who would contest the election independently.
“We will meet at the polls. The results will show who the real ANC is,” he said.
In Lamontville, chaos broke out at a meeting called by the ANC provincial leadership on Wednesday night.
Locals said the meeting, attended by ANC provincial treasurer Peggy Nkonyeni, senior eThekwini councillor Nigel Gumede and SACP provincial secretary Themba Mthembu, turned messy after some people were locked out of the hall during the voting session.
The meeting, which continued until early on Thursday, had been called to review the area’s list, but it degenerated into chaos when Nkonyeni said the list would not be changed in spite of objections.
One resident said they would “rather vote for a monkey” than for the candidate selected by the leaders.
In KwaNdengezi, people said they did not want to vote for John Zulu, who had been a councillor for 10 years.
“We need change. We had agreed as a community that we do not want Zulu as councillor, but the list came back with his name,” said Zakhele Xaba. He said people had decided to find an independent candidate.
ANC members in Pietermaritzburg and in the Umdoni municipal area said they would not vote for the party if the nomination lists had not been changed by today. The deadline for lists to be submitted is 5pm on Friday.
ANC spokesman Ishmael Mnisi said the party condemned violent action by members who disagreed with the candidates’ lists. He said the selection process had guidelines and every province had followed those guidelines.
“We appeal to people not to vote for personalities, but for what the party stands for,” he said.
In Cape Town earlier this week, ANC members unhappy with the list process held provincial leaders in their offices. - Mercury