Durban -
As December 12, the date for the ANC’s eThekwini regional conference, draws closer, many of the party’s branches in the city are struggling to meet and nominate candidates for the elective event.
It’s a race against time because, according to ANC rules, 70% of branches must meet and finalise their nominations and election representatives before Friday to form a quorum.
Sources inside the ANC said that so far, 65 branches had successfully met.
The region has 102 branches and needs 72 branches to be ready for the conference.
The city has an annual budget of R38 billion, and it has emerged that branches are concerned about how the money should be fairly distributed for service provision, rather than for enriching a few tenderpreneurs.
The eThekwini mayor, James Nxumalo, and the party’s regional treasurer, Zandile Gumede, have emerged as the leading contenders.
“Out of 65 branches that have already met, four nominated (the incumbent regional chairman, Sibongiseni) Dhlomo, 22 nominated James (Nxumalo) while the rest (39) have nominated Zandile (Gumede),” said the source.
Nxumalo joined the race late as a replacement for the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Bheki Cele, who bowed out on instruction from ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe.
The source said that more branches would meet on Wednesday, although there were fears that their sittings would be disrupted.
“These branches have attempted to sit several times, but were disrupted. Some people would come armed to the teeth demanding that meetings be called off,” he said.
Another source said that even if the region failed to get a sufficient number of branches to sit, there was pressure in certain circles for the conference to continue regardless.
“These people deliberately disrupt meetings because they don’t want the congress to take place. In Umlazi, people were attacked while in meetings,” he said.
Nxumalo has instructed metro police to stay away from branch meetings unless they are authorised by city manager S’bu Sithole. “Some (factions) use police to intimidate people during branch meetings,” he told The Mercury.
The Mercury