Conference gets nod
Another attempt by a group of disgruntled ANC members in KwaZulu-Natal to halt the provincial elective conference yesterday collapsed after the judges struck the application off the role.
A group of applicants‚ believed to be from the Moses Mabhida region‚ sought to disrupt the provincial elective conference at the Durban University of Technology.
The legal challenge came despite assurances by provincial task team co-ordinator Sihle Zikalala that all parties had been engaged prior to the elective conference.
The matter was heard at Pietermaritzburg High Court but the decision of who would pay the costs was reserved.
The court outcome means delegates will go ahead and elect a new leadership.
Judge Thoba Poyo-Dlwathi said the applicants had enough time to raise their grievances and that the matter was not urgent.
While Zikalala is expected to be elected uncontested as provincial chairman, Mike Mabuyakhulu and Willies Mchunu are set wrestle over who will become his deputy. Another position expected to be contested is that of secretary with former ANC spokesman Mdumiseni Ntuli and former secretary Supra Zuma vying for the post.
The provincial task team yesterday welcomed the court’s decision.
“We are very happy as the ANC that the judges ruled in the manner that they did,” task team member Nomagugu Zungu said.
“We call on members of the ANC to follow due processes that are given to them by the constitution [of the party].
“Courts are never a solution in the unity of the ANC, you must exhaust the processes that are there and be able to get a response.”
Despite the court hearing, the conference had also delayed as delegates were still registering way beyond 5pm, the scheduled time of starting the conference.
This comes after – just a month ago – an eleventh court challenge to stop the controversy-riddled KZN ANC elective conference was granted in the Pietermaritzburg High court while registration for the conference was taking place.
Then‚ disgruntled ANC members – who claimed to represent 44 branches out of 88 in Moses Mabhida region – rushed to court to apply for an urgent interdict to stop the three-day conference from going ahead.
This was after the national executive committee announced at the end of May that it “had gone beyond the minimum requirements” prescribed in its constitution for the provincial elective conference to proceed.