Gauteng ANC says challenges to conferences will flop

Eric Naki

The Gauteng ANC is ready to defend against any court challenges lodged by regional members unhappy with the outcomes and procedures of the recent elective regional conferences.

Acting provincial chairperson David Makhura said he was confident the ANC would win against the challenges emanating from members in the Ekurhuleni and Sedibeng regions, who took the party to court to rule alleging flouting of procedure in elective conferences in the two regions last week.

ANC provincial secretary Hope Papo said those who took the ANC to court would have to pay full legal costs, should they lose their applications, failing which the organisation would attach their property. “We are confident courts will find in our favour as all procedures were scrupulously followed and disputes were heard and adjudicated properly and fairly by the PEC and the national executive committee,” Papo said.

Ekurhuleni members have already lost a bid to have the conference interdicted or its outcomes nullified, but were taking the matter on review.

But divisions were not only surfacing in Ekurhuleni and Sedibeng, but also in the West Rand.

According to Ekurhuleni ANC regional spokesperson Sonnybody Masingi, some members had failed to get the High Court in Johannesburg to interdict the conference after they disputed the pre-conference processes, credentials and electoral outcomes.

In Sedibeng, regional secretary Jason Mkhwane said four branches applied to the court on July 12 to have the regional conference outcome nullified. Mkhwane said Luthuli House, Gauteng ANC and the former Sedibeng regional task team were handling this.

Makhura is leading the nominations and is likely to be elected unopposed, as all the five regions put him top of their lists. But four of the top five executive positions were being fiercely contested, as different camps field their candidates at the provincial conference on July 20 to 22.