ANC to invite police or exclude violent branches

JOHANNESBURG - Violence in Mpumalanga’s ANC branches that are nominating candidates for the December national conference is on the upsurge and the party could face a litany of lawsuits if families decide to claim for damages.

Unsavoury incidents were reported in wards situated in KaNyamazane township in the Mbombela sub-region last weekend where a ward 21 member, Norman Ngwenya, was fatally shot. According to a statement from the ANC Ehlanzeni Regional Secretary, Folas Sibuyi, another comrade was injured during the ward 21 branch general meeting (BGM).

In ward 22, Sibuyi said; a branch member was stabbed before a BGM sat, but survived. In ward 29, a branch secretary was brutally attacked and stabbed.

There has been, however, no indication that the root cause of the violence has to do with differences in the names that branch members are putting forward for election into the national executive committee in Nasrec in December.

Mpumalanga’s provincial executive committee has pronounced its support for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s re-election for a second term, and has dumped Deputy President David Mabuza in favour of the former ANCYL deputy president, Ronald Lamola, who is Justice and Correctional Services Minister.

However, some of the provincial executive committee officials have broken ranks. Deputy secretary Lindiwe Ntshalintshali has been nominated by KwaZulu-Natal branches as a treasurer-general candidate on former health minister Zweli Mkhize’s slate.

Provincial treasurer Mandla Msibi has been linked to Mabuza’s campaign, but he is Ntshalintshali’s strong ally. Mpumalanga ANC secretary Muzi Chirwa said that the top five met this week to discuss the violent incidents that have engulfed the Mbombela sub-region.

“We agreed that the region must ensure that no branch sits without the presence of police or we may have to suspend these branches to avoid deaths,” Chirwa said.