ANC execs to probe list wars

Party set on resolving candidate disputes

FIVE ANC national leaders will from today meet with Eastern Cape branch leaders to resolve council candidate disputes lodged before the August 3 municipal elections.

ANC national executive committee (NEC) members Malusi Gigaba, Edna Molewa, Lindiwe Zulu, Bathabile Dlamini and Beauty Dlulane will kick off their dispute resolution investigations in the province in Amathole.

Dlamini and Dlulane will meet ANC members in Stutterheim today and tomorrow, while Gigaba, Zulu and Molewa will hold meetings in Fort Beaufort.

The arrival of the ANC national leaders come after scores of disputes were lodged with how council candidates were chosen ahead of the elections.

Hundreds of branches across the province complained to their regional and provincial bosses of how internal ANC processes were manipulated.

The alleged flawed processes resulted in several marches to Calata House, the ANC provincial headquarters in King William’s Town.

The list wars also resulted in several ANC leaders going at it alone and contesting the elections as independent candidates.

ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane is on record saying where due processes were not followed when councillors received the nod to contest, the party would instruct them to step down as a rectification measure.

On Thursday, Mabuyane wrote to his Amathole regional counterpart Teris Ntutu informing him that NEC members would probe the alleged list irregularities in the region until November 6.

Yesterday, Mabuyane told Saturday Dispatch that no new disputes would be entertained at the meetings.

Next Sunday, the NEC members will be in Ngqushwa and Komga before wrapping up their Amathole meetings on November 5 to 6 in Dutywa and Butterworth. — ndamasem@dispatch.co.za