ANC to accelerate nomination processes

THE ANC’s top brass will send teams of national executive committee members to the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape to speed up the nomination processes for next month’s conference.

Addressing a press conference yesterday, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe announced that Sbu Ndebele, the former KZN premier, would lead a task team which will investigate the legitimacy of the Eastern Cape elective conference held last month.

Violence marred the conference and saw rival factions throwing chairs at each other before Oscar Mabuyane was elected chairman.

Ndebele said he received a call from Mantashe yesterday morning to inform him that he would chair the panel investigating the ANC Eastern Cape conference.

“I am meeting with the SG tomorrow to get a brief and for him to take me through the task that I am supposed to do,” he said.

Mantashe said: “The troubled province of the Eastern Cape as of yesterday was at 66% [in branch nominations].”

Other provinces where the NEC’s organising committee will intervene are KZN, which was also lagging behind at 40.8% and Western Cape at 54%.

“These are basically three provinces where we will have to intervene to accelerate the processes,” said Mantashe.

The details were part of a report on the state of affairs, as the party is racing against time, preparing for its 54th elective national conference in December.

The conference comes while the Eastern Cape provincial executive is under pressure as its former chairman Phumulo Masualle is challenging the election into office of his rival Mabuyane.

The Dispatch reported yesterday that the NEC resolved to send a seven-member team to help deal with the dispute and report back to the NEC at the end of the month. The list includes Rejoice Mabhudafasi, Sdumo Dlamini and Rejoice Moloi-Moropa, as well as three technical officers.

The NEC, which met last weekend, resolved that Mabuyane along with his 35-member PEC will remain at the helm, pending the finalisation of probe.

The announcement of the Ndebele-led team comes amid inaccurate media reports yesterday that Fikile Mbalula and David Mahlobo would lead the team to probe the troubled province.

“There is no Mbalula or Mahlobo team going to the Eastern Cape,” said Mantashe. — Additional reporting by Qaanitah Hunter