Cape Town - Attempts to interdict the ANC’s Cape Town leadership conference have been stalled as the Western Cape High Court dismissed the application.
But the party’s top brass was in talks with those disgruntled members to avert further factional divisions.
ANC members Sindiswa Masumpa, from ward 91 in Khayelitsha, and Xolani Ngwekazi, from ward 95 near Makhaza, have turned to the courts to nullify the regional conference held two weeks ago.
“There were branches that were approved overnight even though they don’t have the required membership to constitute a branch minimum of 100 members,” Masumpa said.
“Branches did not properly constitute branch general meetings as required by the ANC’s constitution. There was also no voters roll printed out to ensure that branches were in good standing and that membership could be verified.”
The pair argues that the Dullah Omar region did not meet the membership threshold to constitute a regional conference.
They also claimed that when the regional executive committee did not qualify for the conference, there were new branches out of nowhere which according to an audit and corrections had fewer than 100 members to constitute a branch in good standing.
According to a July audit there were five branches not in good standing.
These were wards 60, 71, 113, 115 and 112.
Xolani Sotashe was re-elected alongside incumbent regional secretary JJ Tyhalisisu and deputy secretary Charlotte Heyns.
Deputy regional chairperson is Joseph Thee while Pat Mngxunyeni was elected treasurer.
ANC provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs acknowledged that the conference had not been without its challenges.
“There were attempts to interdict the conference but the courts dismissed the application. Our view is that conferences do not just happen. The process of taking the ANC to conference is long and intense and members of the ANC are free to challenge these processes at any of the stages, whether its at branch stage, audit stage, review of audit stage.
“There is enough recourse within the organisation to make sure all processes meet the given guidelines. However, we warn our members that to participate in a conference and then upon losing outcomes, go to court to lodge complaints against pre-conference processes is mischievous and dishonest,” he said.