Cape Town - Plans by the Western Cape ANC to go to conference next month get murkier by the day with party insiders now claiming it’s a smokescreen to obscure stalling tactics.
According to insiders, the conference, which had been marred by multiple delays, will most likely be postponed again as not enough branches are in good standing.
So far, only four provinces have concluded their conferences in anticipation of the national elective conference in December. KwaZulu-Natal is holding theirs this weekend, with the North West, Free State, Western Cape and Northern Cape still outstanding.
Last week, the party released its long-awaited “roadmap” stating the Cape conference would take place between August 31 and September 2.
The party’s leader of the interim provincial committee (IPC) in the province, Lerumo Kalako, told Weekend Argus: “We are now ready.”
But insiders beg to differ, as two sources within the IPC stated that more than 120 more branches still need to be in good standing, currently only 151 branches meet the criteria and 284 branches are needed before conference can proceed.
Another thorn on the road to conference is that none of the regions in the province had held their conference, a prerequisite to the provincial event.
“As a frustrated ANC member in the Western Cape, I don’t think the conference will take place in August... It will be postponed again,” ANC member Alex Stemela told Weekend Argus.
“They had three to four years to prepare but I don’t think they’re ready yet,” Stemela, who hails from George, said.
The West Coast region was scheduled to go to conference this weekend, but that was once again postponed. This is now set to occur on August 5 and 6.
“We have a normal branch general meeting dispute,” Neville Delport told Weekend Argus.
“We will be the first region to sit,” he said.
The Central Karoo region is also not ready.
“I’m not ready yet, my conference is scheduled for weekend of August 15,” said region’s secretary, Windy Plaatjies.
“We still have to rerun two branches and also waiting for verification of the ones that (already) sat,” Plaatjies said.
While the ANC faces the difficult task of trying to heal a divided party in the province, speculation is rife as to who will be elected chairperson.
The IPC has been in place since 2019 after the provincial leadership was dissolved.
It emerged that young members of the party are said to reject seniors in the province wishing to vie for top positions.
“The youth would like to see a younger crop of dynamic leaders emerge who are in tune with broader society,“ an insider said.
Weekend Argus has reliably learnt that some factions within the party are calling for former Youth League leader Khalid Sayed to be chairperson, while another group is pushing for the leader of the opposition in the Western Cape Legislature, Cameron Dugmore, to take the top position.
Other names doing the rounds included Justin de Allende, current head of office for the Deputy Minister of International Relations, and Mcebisi Skwatsha, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.
Responding to talks about a possible nomination, Sayed, said: “I have not been nominated formally by any branch. Once formal nominations takes place, I will be in a position to comment.”
Dugmore said: “As a member of the ANC in good standing, I have always availed myself for any task or duty that the structures of the ANC feel I should perform.”
He added: “Any formal nomination would be considered and given due consideration. Although I have not been formally approached, I would most certainly be humbled should structures feel that I can make a contribution in that role.”
Former provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs labelled the upcoming conference important.
“It must elect a gender diverse, broadly representative, capable, inter generational mix, ethical, leadership core that can bring hope and real change to our communities,” he told Weekend Argus.
“We must emerge with a plan to serve and unite our people. Now more than ever we must not be used in factional and narrow self serving interest,” he said.
Political analyst, Professor Sipho Seepe said the ANC in the Western Cape was swimming in tumultuous water.
“Once you lose power, it is almost impossible to regain it,” Seepe said.
“The ANC in the province finds itself in the same situation. Arguably the ANC national has almost given up on the province.The failure to recoup and hold conference is an indicator of the crisis.
“It doesn't help that Luthuli House has also had its back against the wall. The DA has for all intents and purposes consolidated its power,” he said.
Weekend Argus