Fransman denies rumours of discord

WESTERN Cape ANC leader Marius Fransman has denied rumours that the party’s provincial leadership is facing possible disbandment.

The outgoing provincial chairman, during a speech at the South African Municipal Workers Union’s 10th elective conference last week, however, alluded to forces sowing discord within the party’s ranks.

Taking union members into his confidence, Fransman highlighted problems within the party’s ranks while calling for greater unity with the municipal workers union.

“There are those in dark corners that plot consistently that the leadership of this province must be dissolved… But the space to put or discuss these matters must be at the correct forums, not in dark rooms,” he said.

Fransman said members of the national working committee visited the province just over two weeks ago, but added that the visit was not to discuss the disbandment of the provincial leadership. He said the ANC’s national working committee had been grappling with issues relating to voter trends in the province ahead of the ANC’s provincial conference next month.

Fransman said three pertinent issues emerged:

How to deepen unity within the ANC in the province.

How to de-factionalise the ANC in the province and its regions.

How to win over the coloured community in the province.

Fransman said in 1994 the ANC only received 33 percent of the votes despite former president Nelson Mandela and stalwarts like Allan Boesak leading the campaigns in the province.

“(In) 2009 we only had 31 percent and in 2014 we were able to push back and upwards to 33 percent,” he said.

He said the ANC was busy with a renewal programme which aimed to obtain input from everyone within the party.

“We should create a space for debate. There should be no holy cows in this discussion. It does not mean that if you are in leadership you will know more that delegates at branch level or a unionist. We have to work together if we want to change the lives of our people,” he said.

“There is a process towards conference in all the regions and in the province and we urge comrades to participate in that process. Let no one allow gatekeeping anywhere in our structures because that gatekeeping was part of the reason why the ANC went down in the Western Cape because some of us thought that the ANC can only operate if we are in charge. And we must change that approach.”

After four years as chairman, Fransman did not indicate if he would stand for re-election.

But he told workers he remained convinced that it was possible for the ANC to reclaim many municipalities lost to the DA.

Fransman said that there was an onslaught on the unity among the ANC’s traditional base in areas like Khayelitsha, Langa and Philippi.

“Yes, people vote ANC in those areas, but the percentage margin of voting is going down in those areas, meaning that the possibility of disillusionment is because infighting is crippling our people there. We must change this,” he said.