Pretoria - The ANC’s top leadership in Gauteng faces another crisis of disputes over the nomination of candidates for the West Rand regional conference, and the party’s provincial conference later this month.
The latest headache came after party leaders had to deal with violent protests in its Ekurhuleni and Tshwane regions, whose regional conferences were marred by ugly disputes.
Ekurhuleni members turned their regional conference two weeks ago into a festival of chairs. At the weekend, Tshwane almost suffered the same fate when five branches lodged a complaint of list manipulation by the organisers of the regional conference.
Outgoing Gauteng chairperson David Makhura and some ANC national officials had to intervene to put out the fire. The regional conference had to be delayed for hours until the dispute was finally resolved.
Now a similar situation is set to play out in the West Rand, as party members marched to the ANC provincial headquarters Walter Sisulu House and Luthuli House, to protest against irregularities allegedly committed by regional secretary Sanele Ngweventsha.
Outside Luthuli House yesterday, one of the protest leaders, Tshidiso Tlharipe, gave a detailed account of their complaint against Ngweventsha to the provincial and national leadership of the ANC. The aggrieved members are accusing Ngweventsha of being instrumental in the ANC’s loss of its traditional ward 29 in Westonaria’s Rand West Local Municipality to the EFF during by-elections last week.
“ANC members in the ward and public meeting nominated Nokuthula Ntlokwana to be the party’s councillor elect. Ngweventsha interfered and opted to appoint Wanelisa Moche who was not nominated.
“As a result the ANC lost the ward to the EFF. We are here to ask the national office to investigate the conduct of Ngweventsha and to implement disciplinary action for the loss. He must face the consequences.”
Tlharipe also accused Ngweventsha of manipulating lists for people to attend the regional and provincial conference – an accusation Ngweventsha vehemently denied.
He admitted that Ntlokwana was nominated at a public meeting but the ANC opted for Moche to be the party’s councillor-elect in last week's by-elections.
“The reason to opt for Moche was taken by the top leadership of the region, provincial office bearers. We decided against Ntlokwana due to the fact that she stood as an independent candidate during last year’s November 1 local government elections. We then opted for Moche.
“It was not my decision to remove Ntlokwana, the decision was taken by the region, provincial officials and the provincial executive committee office bearers,” Ngweventsha said.
He described his accusers “as liars and disgruntled people” who allegedly used the party’s difficulties in delivering services such as housing, for their “own selfish needs”.
The Gauteng ANC provincial executive were locked in a meeting last night and the West Rand complaint was one of the items on the agenda.
Insiders believe that the West Rand was divided over the factions of ANC deputy chairperson and MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi and Lebogang Maile – both vying to replace Makhura – who is not standing in the upcoming elections. The people who marched to Luthuli House are linked to Maile.
At the weekend, Makhura was mum about the possible choice to replace him amid fierce leadership battles between Lesufi and Maile.
He reiterated that he was not standing for re-election at the ANC’s provincial conference later this month, but refused to disclose his preferred candidate to replace him. “I don’t have a preferred candidate to replace me,” Makhura said.
He was also evasive about his next political move saying it was up to the ANC to decide where he should be deployed.
Makhura also dismissed insinuations that he was punted to be the next secretary-general of the ANC under President Cyril Ramaphosa’s slate.
Pretoria News