THE ANC has set itself a month end deadline to finalise all disputes relating to its councillor candidates selection process even those lodged before last week’s local government elections.
ANC official Mandla Qwane said the party’s electoral committee chaired by former president Kgalema Motlanthe would conclude its work by the end of this month.
Qwane was speaking outside Luthuli House, where angry ANC members from Ekurhuleni and Dipaleseng in Mpumalanga delivered complaints about the manipulation of candidate selection process and removal of candidates chosen by communities.
”By-elections will be held where disputes arise and it is proven candidates lists were manipulated,” he said.
Qwane thanked ANC members for bringing their complaints to the party’s head office.
”We thank you for that because if it was other people they would have gone to the township to burn the streets and destroy property. But because you are disciplined members of the ANC you are here.
“You came to Luthuli House, your own home, to raise your issues. You are calling for the NEC (national executive committee) to attend to your cries, to attend to your complaints.
“Mine is to receive, on behalf of the NEC, those complaints and disputes that you have and submit them to the NEC and the officials for their attention so that they make sure that they respond to your disputes with speed,” he said.
According to the Ekurhuleni ANC members’ memorandum, they are demanding that candidates such as former regional secretary Theliswa Mgweba whose names were removed from the list to be reinstated.
They blame current regional secretary Thembinkosi Nciza for tampering with branch nominations and replacing them illegally with candidates who were not nominated and submitting ward councillor candidates even though no community meetings sat as stated in the ANC guidelines.
The ANC members also want Nciza to be stopped from participating in processes relating to the establishment of the Ekurhuleni council, which is scheduled to hold its first meeting after the municipal polls on Thursday.
They also want Nciza suspended.
The ANC has promise to respond to the disputes before the end of the week but members want a response before Thursday’s council meeting.
Political Bureau