Old ANC allies at odds
Battle lines are drawn in OR Tambo
The battle lines have been drawn between two former allies in the O R Tambo region following a damning letter to the ANC provincial office.
O R Tambo ANC acting regional secretary Mesuli Ngqondwana has accused regional chair Xolile Nkompela and other party branch secretaries of sabotaging the upcoming regional conference.
Nkompela and Ngqondwana are expected to go head-to-head for the chairmanship when the ANC elects its new leaders before the end of this month.
In a three-page letter to provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi, Ngqondwana accused Nkompela of obstructing some branches from holding branch general meetings to elect delegates and nominate regional leaders to the conference.
“Regional chairman cde Nkompela has said in an REC meeting that he has instructed his branches not to participate in the process.
“He has made an unequivocal declaration that he is responsible for the non-convening of the BGMs despite the fact that the REC had taken a decision to start with the conference preparations,” Ngqondwana said.
He also accused secretaries of wards 8 and 29 in Nyandeni, ward 3 in King Sabata Dalindyebo, ward 32 in Inquza Hill and ward 20 in Port St Johns of running away with BGM documentation. “So far, a total of 97 out of the144 branches have set their BGMs. This remainder has not even convened the BGMs as a way of frustrating the process leading to the regional conference,” Ngqondwana said.
“People who withhold branch material from the collective must be made to surrender those to the branch to allow them to execute their constitutional mandate.
“Individuals who have contributed to the collapse of BGMs must be made to foot the bill and further subjected to disciplinary hearings,” he wrote.
Ngqondwana confirmed writing a letter to Ngcukayitobi but declined to comment on its contents. Nkompela said he was aware of the letter but that its contents were a fabrication of Ngqondwana’s imagination and lies.
“He is using his office to his advantage. He has administered a number of fraudulent BGMs where he sent one REC member to officiate two BGMs,” Nkompela said.
“I have requested to the PEC that myself and the acting secretary recuse ourselves from the processes leading to the conference. However, we were told to handle the matter.”
Nkompela claimed 75 of the 144 ANC branches did not go for audit verification, as stipulated in the ANC guidelines.
Ngcukayitobi could not be reached for comment at the time of writing on Friday.
Others expected to elect new leaders are W B Rubusana, Chris Hani and Sarah Baartman regions. Chris Hani is expected to continue this week, while Rubusana’s conference is next weekend.