ANC national leaders to decide on EC conference
Aggrieved pro-Phumulo Masualle camp to present report to Mantashe
The validity of the outcome of the controversial ANC Eastern Cape (EC) provincial conference is now in the hands of Luthuli House.
That is if the disgruntled grouping – which had their initial case to have the conference interdicted thrown out of court yesterday – does not submit another court application to have the conference outcome nullified.
Even if the Phumulo Masualle grouping goes to court, the ANC national leadership still has to hear the dispute brought by the faction which lost the conference.
The national executive committee (NEC) deployees who oversaw the chaotic ANC EC elective conference and the group that left the conference midway, following violence inside the conference venue, will present their cases.
This comes as the proMasualle group confirmed that they would petition the party’s national officials and the national working committee (NWC) to nullify the conference, which saw Oscar Mabuyane voted the new provincial chairman in a landslide victory.
They said Masualle, who was chairman of the conference’s steering committee had, in fact, adjourned the conference before violence erupted inside the venue. Chairs and iron rods were used by delegates against each other.
Masualle will submit a detailed report to secretary-general Gwede Mantashe and the party’s NWC.
The aggrieved Masualle grouping, which includes former ANCYL deputy president Andile Lungisa and MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane, allege that procedural irregularities took place during the conference.
In the other corner, the triumphant Mabuyane camp is confident that all was above board as witnessed by NEC deployees. NEC member Jackson Mthembu, who was among deployees to the conference, tweeted yesterday: “Court challenge to interdict the ANC EC 8th provincial conference has been struck off the roll. Victory for ANC internal democracy.”
He was reacting after the East London High Court struck off the roll the application by ANC delegates who attended the conference and raised several unresolved issues, such as branch general meeting disputes.
Lungisa yesterday said the ANC higher structures would put the matter to bed.
“We will wait and see; I cannot say much for now as I respect ANC internal structures and discipline,” he said.