Durban - Lawyers representing ANC branches in the Mangaung region have written to the interim provincial committee of the Free State, saying that the regional conference scheduled for this weekend should be postponed until serious irregularities are addressed.
The conference is due to take place just weeks before the crucial national elective conference to be held at Nasrec from December 16.
In a letter by T G Mhlokonya of Mhlokonya Attorneys, he said they act at the instance of various ANC branches in the Mangaung region.
“Our clients have become cognisant of a litany of irregularities that have bedevilled the processes involving the convening and holding of branch meetings which were held in anticipation of the National Conference scheduled for December 2022.
“We are instructed that the irregularities are of a materially grave nature that they vitiate the whole process leading to the National Conference,” the letter reads.
These irregularities, according to the letter, range from instances of manipulation of branch meetings by, in one instance, representing a deceased person as one of the attendees, in another instance signing the attendance register impersonating certain members who have subsequently expressly denied that they were signatories.
In another instance a member who is physically not in Bloemfontein is represented as having attended the meeting and signed the attendance register.
Mhlokonya said branches had been presented with compelling evidence demonstrating the irregularities and that branches had lodged disputes with the Provincial Dispute Resolution Committee, and in appropriate circumstances, have preferred criminal charges of fraud and forgery against the perpetrators.
“It has come to our cognisance that during a meeting of the Interim Regional Committee wherein duly elected branch structures were arbitrarily excluded, it was announced that the IRC intended to hold a Regional Conference during the weekend starting on the 18th November 2022,” read the letter.
The branches say they ‘strongly urge that the contemplated regional conference be held in abeyance, pending various grievances being addressed’ or they would approach the Bloemfontein High Court for interdictory relief.
This is what the branches also want:
- the resolution of all disputes emanating from BBGMs
- the arrival of a team that has been put together by the ANC’s SGO
- a verification process has been conducted to verify all delegates, BECs and nominations for regions, province and national leadership.
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