Durban - Yet another ANC KwaZulu-Natal conference could be under threat after its youth league’s elective conference held on the South Coast was blighted by anarchy at the weekend.
Claims that signatures were forged, of infighting and disregard for lodged appeals have hit the conference, which saw a disgruntled faction that had been barred from proceedings clash with riot police.
While the party in the province has downplayed the events, several delegates who spoke to The Mercury on Sunday on condition of anonymity vowed not to “let it slide”, and said the conference would be nullified if their complaints were not dealt with.
The two-day conference was held at the Ugu Sports and Leisure Centre in Port Shepstone at the weekend.
Social media platforms were flooded on Saturday evening with reports of police using rubber bullets and teargas to disperse a large group threatening to disrupt the conference.
Provincial secretary Sihle Zikalala disputed the allegations and said the conference went ahead, and that the disgruntled group had been engaged civilly.
The youth member said the problems started when some delegates refused to, or could not, register before outstanding appeals were addressed.
“There are 80 eThekwini branches which sat wrongfully. Leadership of those branches appealed to the youth league’s PTT (provincial task team), but they were referred back to the (eThekwini) region. The region rejected them,” he said.
The league member said the objecting branches again appealed to the task team and sat before the appeal committee, chaired by KZN legislature MPL Maggie Govender.
“Maggie’s committee didn’t bother communicating results of the appeals. We were then told there is no result, but the conference will go ahead.”
Complaints included that branches had been disbanded for having “parallel structures”. Claims of forged signatures, which have allegedly been reported to the police, added fuel to the fire.
Another point of contestation was that the party had gone against its constitutional requirement that a conference be convened by “above structures”.
“But this didn’t happen yesterday (Saturday). There was not a single national office bearer,” the league member said. “There was no (Fikile) Mbalula, no (Mcebisi) Skwatsha or (Malusi) Gigaba. Mthethwa only came today (on Sunday). He was supposed to be there when the conference started.”
Another source said: “We were demanding answers to the disputes lodged before we could register. Unprovoked, we were tear-gassed and rubber bullets fired on us.”
He said they heard the instruction: “Shoot these hooligans. Shoot these dogs.”
Zikalala shrugged off the allegations, saying the group had been engaged civilly.
“That’s not genuine. Those people were listened to and engaged by the ANC’s PTT. Through the structured committees, the ANC dealt with all complaints,” he said.
Asked why the conference was not convened by national office bearers, he said: “We were mandated by the NEC (national executive committee) to proceed.”
Thami Ngubane was elected provincial chairman unopposed. Completing the top five were Kwazi Mshengu as deputy chairman, Thanduxolo Sabela (secretary), Sibongile Khathi (deputy secretary) and treasurer Siyabonga Nene.
It was reported on Sunday that premier and provincial chairman Senzo Mchunu had lambasted those responsible for the disruptions in his opening address, after an eight-hour delay.
“(The) violence that we are hearing about today is the same violence we have been hearing about in some of the branches all over the province where there would be fistfighting and beatings… where there would be firearms used in some cases.
“We are told that pepper spray is used in ANC meetings,” Mchunu said.
He said that a gradual change in the character of the ANC in the province had been observed, and that the matter was being addressed.
On Monday ANC NEC member Nathi Mthethwa congratulated the newly elected leadership in KZN and encouraged the league to always have a programme of action and champion the needs of young people.
“The ANC Youth League has always been about raising views within the structures and we encourage robust debates. Young people should always have views that will take the ANC and this country forward”, Mthethwa said in a statement.
Mthethwa said the first task of the newly elected leadership was to unite this province and make sure that the youth wing was united and worked towards building solid foundation. He cautioned the leaders about temptation of wanting to be bigger than the ANC and said the the organisation was bigger than all its members and does not belong to individuals.
The Mercury and ANA