Johannesburg - Reports of complicity between some provincial and regional leaders are at the centre of the delay of the sitting of the ANC eThekwini regional conference, regional ANC officials said this week.
While ANC provincial secretary Sihle Zikalala stressed that the main challenge was with branches with high membership, claims have emerged that chairmanship candidates are scheming to boost their support.
Provincial SACP chair and eThekwini mayor James Nxumalo is up against regional treasurer and veteran councillor Zandile Gumede for one of the most powerful positions in the country.
The conference was due to sit on December 13, but was postponed for another week before it was moved again to the new year.
It is believed the task team appointed to assist the region had recommended the postponements.
The team of provincial executive members including Mike Mabuyakhulu and ANCYL provincial chair Mthandeni Dlungwane was set up to deal with the serious faction-fighting within the region.
Zikalala said “rogue elements” who contributed to the delaying of the conference are being dealt with.
“We have also taken a decision that all who caused chaos during branch general meetings will be hauled before the disciplinary committee because we cannot allow anarchy in our movement.”
The task team was continuing to work with the region until the conference, now to be held “at the end of January or beginning of February”.
“The region is working on logistical arrangements,” he added.
Members, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the provincial leadership had identified the eThekwini region as the kingmakers because of their large numbers.
“Politics is a game of numbers. One of the candidates did not have enough numbers to enable them to contest, and those that have the power managed to manoeuvre things and postponed the conference,” said a top ANC official speaking from Cape Town.
Another official said it was very difficult for big branches to attain a quorum. “You basically need 1001 members at one time for the branch general meeting to be legitimate.
“Now tell me on which day of the week would you manage to pull that off?” he asked.
A former regional executive member of the ANC in eThekwini said whatever the outcome from eThekwini it would have serious repercussions for the upcoming provincial conference.
The conference was initially supposed to take place in March, but Zikalala said that was not the case.
“There is no date for the provincial conference as we are mid-term since the last conference. And we have a challenge in branches with high membership,” he added.
One such branch is Ward 1, the biggest ANC branch in the country with over 2 000 members.
Asked how many branches were still to hold their general meetings, Zikalala said that information would only be reported to the structures.
Nxumalo entered the race in October following the withdrawal of former chair Bheki Cele after a party ruling that prohibited members serving in higher structure from later serving in lower structures.
Political Bureau