No faith in ANC’s bid to quell tension

Meetings ‘won’t mend cracks’

SOME ANC members, who lodged disputes on how councillor-candidates had been chosen before the August municipal elections, believe the party’s dispute resolution meetings will not resolve anything.

In its bid to try and rectify irregularities raised by branch members, the ANC has reacted by forming a task team consisting of national executive committee (NEC) members such as Edna Molewa, Bathabile Dlamini, Lindiwe Zulu, Beauty Dlulane and Malusi Gigaba.

The NEC task team kicked off its dispute resolution meetings with Amathole district branch leaders in Fort Beaufort and Stutterheim on Saturday.

However, branch leaders who attended the meetings with high hopes left disappointed after they were told to rather unite without the issues raised, being resolved.

Earlier on Saturday, ANC members were seen gathered in different groups outside the party’s constituency office in Fort Beaufort before they were called inside to raise their grievances with Molewa and provincial executive committee (PEC) member Weziwe Tikana.

The meetings went on the whole day with the last branch leaving after midnight.

At least four branch members, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of being targeted, said they had lost faith in the process after attending Saturday’s meetings.

“People no longer have faith in internal ANC processes. The ANC has become an injustice organisation. We don’t have confidence in this process anymore,” one said. Another agreed. “It appears that the meetings were called as a by-the-way kind of thing because nothing will be resolved. Instead, we were told to rather unite.

“But how are we going to unite when the issues that divide us have not been resolved? We are due to go to BGMs [branch general meetings] in preparation of the RGC [regional general council].

“Those things will further divide us,” the branch leader said.

Another said the meetings had lost credibility because Amathole regional secretary Teris Ntutu and provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane did not attend to answer to the allegations since the grievances had been lodged with them.

The disputes ranged from councillor-candidates being imposed on communities, delegates refused entry at the regional list conference (RLC), alleged membership manipulation and misrepresentation of branches at the RLC among others.

Mabuyane previously told the Daily Dispatch that councillor-candidates who got the nod to stand despite ANC process not being followed, would be instructed by the ANC to step down and be replaced.

“There’s no recourse for the branches that complained because there is no clear indication of what will happen.

“We are not happy with how the meeting went and we told the ANC that if it doesn’t take people serious, the organisation will be punished in 2019,” said branch leaders.

Mabuyane described the branch leaders as ill-disciplined for commenting about the meetings in the media.

“People must respect internal processes of the organisation. At an appropriate time, the NEC will release its findings,” he said.

The NEC members will conclude their dispute resolution meetings in Amathole on November 6. —