Mabuza told to resolve ANC’S factional wars in Tshwane
ANC deputy president David Mabuza was asked to resolve challenges faced by the regional executive committee (REC) in Tshwane or disband that structure during a meeting with disgruntled party members on Monday afternoon.
The meeting was convened with more than 20 party members, who are disgruntled about the party’s candidate list for this year’s local government elections. Two ANC members who attended the meeting, spoke to the Mail & Guardian.
Scores of ANC members camped outside St Georges Hotel in Tshwane as the ANC sat with disgruntled members in a peace-making mission.
The meeting, which was also attended by deputy secretary Jessie Duarte and former president Kgalema Motlanthe, is said to have become heated when members blamed the “dysfunctional” REC for the party’s woes.
The ANC has been on a mission to allay concerned party members, who have alleged that its council candidate selection process was manipulated and rigged by some regions and branch leaders.
The M&G understands that Mabuza and Duarte told members in attendance that matters related to the regional executive and the disputes
would be dealt with after the elections.
“The comrades told us that we had to first get a clear mandate from Tshwane before any discussion on the regional issues is confronted. They assured us that a delegation of NEC [national executive committee] members would come back after the elections to assess the situation,” said one ANC member who attended the meeting.
Speaking to the M&G on Tuesday,
Tshwane regional secretary Eugene Modise said that calls for the REC to be disbanded were not new, adding that the call for the region to be dissolved came from people eyeing positions.
“Almost all disbandments in regions did not bear the fruits that we wanted. What is important for our organisation and leaders is to unite the people to work together in terms of the conference resolutions,” he said, adding that the region had done a good job in dismantling the Democratic Alliance and protecting the interest of communities since the DA took over in 2016.
Modise added that the meeting with disgruntled party members “went well”. He said that people listened to the leaders and left motivated to go on the ground and campaign.
Election violence
The ANC has placed much of its elections machinery in Tshwane to avoid any unrest.
Recently ANC councillor Tshepo Motaung, was gunned down execution-style in what is believed to be a politically motivated hit related to the party’s candidate selection process. The ward 22 councillor in Mabopane was shot at least 20 times by unknown hitmen.
Speaking to the media on Monday, head of elections Fikile Mbalula said the security cluster was on high alert, and that reports of gangsterism related to the ANC’S process were under investigation.
“Thugs have infiltrated the ANC … People are being killed,” Mbalula said.
Modise added that the security cluster had picked up on a group calling itself Boko Haram, which had infiltrated the ANC.
“Earlier on they were targeting projects and not the organisation, but because there is a link between projects and councillors, they managed to sneak themselves into the organisation.
“Their attitude is that whoever emerges as a councillor must be from their side or must be influenced by the cartel,” Modise said.
“This is taken seriously. This is not the only grouping, there is another grouping in Mamelodi ...They were frustrating the entire community of Mamelodi. They invaded hostels and are running a programme of people paying protection fees on a monthly basis. We are aware — even the branches involved have been identified,” he added .
Mbalula said the party was dealing only with 10 legitimate disputes from the region, characterising all the others as frivolous.
“The NEC has taken a decision that all these matters will be attended to after the elections. The committee will deal with these matters meticulously. They will then, after the investigation, make recommendations to the NEC,” Mbalula said.
“Where it is found that some of the processes have been manipulated, the decision of the NEC will be to the effect that some of those processes will be reviewed and, where necessary, there will be by-elections in those areas.”