Durban: ANC members in the Moses Mabhida Region say they are looking forward to the rerun of the councillor candidate selection process.
This comes after the party’s Appeals Committee chaired by Cyril Xaba said there should be a rerun in 24 wards where there were disputes.
The region which is made up of Pietermaritzburg and surrounding towns, including Howick and Richmond, recorded the second highest number of disputes over the councillor candidates list after eThekwini Region.
After the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s announcement on Monday that it would give parties and individuals a further opportunity to register candidates, the ANC in KZN moved with speed to resolve the disputes in regions starting with Moses Mabhida on Tuesday.
ANC members from Sobantu Township in Ward 35 who had marched to the regional offices last week over the candidate selection said they were pleased with the Appeals’ Committee decision.
“This is the time for things to be done in the correct manner. We want to have a chance to vote for the person that we want, not someone who is imposed by the region,” said branch member Minenhle Mngadi.
He added that the presence of provincial representatives will enable the process to run without the risk of manipulation.
Mzwandile Goge, from ward 34 which includes Eastwood, said it was important for the provincial representatives to attend the nomination process.
“Given our past experience with the regional leadership, we believe that the province must oversee the process, otherwise we will have the same problems again if the region is running the process,” said the ANC member.
The troubled region is currently led by an interim structure - the regional task team with Thulani Xulu as the convener and Mandla Zondi as the co-ordinator.
ANC KZN spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela said the committee’s decision was final and would not be interfered with by the provincial leadership.
“They are the final arbiter on disputes; if they say there should be a rerun that is what will happen and should they feel that the provincial representative should be at the rerun, they will communicate with the provincial secretary,” said Ntombela.
When contacted for comment, Xaba said: “I am sorry I have been in these meetings since the morning,” before dropping the call.
The Mercury