North West ANC postpones its list conference
THE ANC in the North West has indicated that its pending provincial list conference will remain in limbo until all the disputes taken on appeal by disgruntled members are finalised.
This comes after the party was forced to once again postpone the conference scheduled for yesterday.
ANC provincial co-ordinator Keneitswe Mosenogi said the party was left with no choice but to shelve the conference because of numerous grievances lodged with the party’s national appeals committee.
Yesterday, the committee was scheduled to meet to conclude the appeals.
“We have received about 19 appeals. We were planning to go ahead this week but then we received appeals.
“Because these processes are interlinked and interdependent, we have no choice, but to wait,” Mosenogi said.
The platinum province is currently the only ANC structure that has failed to convene its list conference which contains the nomination of those who will represent the party in provincial legislatures, Parliament and the government.
At the heart of the delays are factional battles which have seen the conference being postponed several times as backers of former provincial chairman and premier Supra Mahumapelo are accusing the current provincial task team (PTT) led by Premier Job Mokgoro of sidelining Mahumapelo and those sympathetic to him, from being nominated.
The latest postponement comes despite the ANC’s plan to hold its national list conference over the weekend in Durban, before the party’s 107th-anniversary celebrations scheduled for next week.
“Only then will we be able to have an indication on when we can go to the conference again,” Mosenogi said.
Dr Kenneth Kaunda regional secretary Lopang Rothman said the disputes and subsequent appeals, some from his own region, were triggered by the PTT’s refusal to accept that Mahumapelo and his grouping remained influential within lower structures in the province.
“We said these things were going to happen with this PTT. Although we know they are in denial, the agenda has been to deal with Supra Mahumapelo and all these people who supported him. Now the question is if they cannot take a province to a list conference, will they be able to take it to an elective conference?” Rothman asked.
Should the North West ANC fail to compile its nominations list, the party’s national executive committee may take over the responsibility, which could deepen divisions in the province. ANC national acting spokespersons Zizi Kodwa and Dakota Legoete did not respond to questions by the time of going to print.