‘Thousands of illegal ANC members found’

A NORTHERN KwaZulu-Natal councillor has claimed they have uncovered thousands of illegal ANC members ahead of the elective conference in December.

ANC councillor in Pongola‚ Nqaba Mkhwanazi‚ who gave evidence yesterday at the Moerane Commission which is sitting in KwaZulu-Natal to investigate political violence in the province‚ cited factionalism and corruption as being among the causes for the political killings ravaging the province.

Mkhwanazi said the party had discovered 4 000 illegal ANC membership cards bearing a fake stamp in the Zululand region.

He said he believed the fake members were linked to certain branches of the ANC Youth League.

“We have submitted the list to the secretary-general to investigate.”

ANC provincial spokesman Mdumiseni Ntuli confirmed that the claims of fraudulent members were being investigated by the PEC.

“This matter has been reported to us and we have investigated the list. Corrective action is being taken and we have gone to those involved to respond to our findings.”

He said preliminary investigation revealed about 1 000 names‚ but “as we go deeper‚ the figure of manipulated membership might increase”.

Ntuli said their investigation had uncovered various people linked to the ANC branch and regional level as well as the ANC Youth League.

“The PEC has ruled that this matter must be completed within the next 30 days to ensure we don’t undermine the credibility of our membership leading up to the elective conference.”

Ntuli said the issue of fraudulent membership was limited only to Nongoma‚ eDumbe and Vryheid.

Mkhwanazi said in the run-up to the elective conference in December‚ there would be more killings if a provincial elective conference was not called. He said in the current government‚ managers were there through deployment‚ and as deployees they had to listen to their boss.

“That is where corruption starts.”

Mkhwanazi raised concern about the system used by the party to elect new councillors.

He believes this is what led to the murder of his friend and fellow councillor‚ Mbhekiseni Khumalo‚ who was killed in December outside his home in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Khumalo was shot dead at his house by assassins.

Mkhwanazi said Khumalo was selected through party structures despite numbers favouring another individual.

“The PR list is not followed according to chronology. Our ANC leadership must not take decisions on its own‚ but listen to the community.”

However, Ntuli said there had been several arrests in the deaths of councillors in which the suspects were not ANC members.

As we go deeper‚ the figure of manipulated membership might increase