ANC top brass tackle N Cape

Officials deliberate over elective conference

THE ANC top six were locked in high-security meetings in Kimberley for the better part of the weekend to deal with complaints over the Northern Cape’s elective conference.

Led by party president Jacob Zuma, the high-powered delegation remained behind closed doors with the provincial executive committee (PEC) at the Frances Baard District Municipal offices.

The meetings proceeded while Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma was delivering a Freedom Charter lecture in Galeshewe on Saturday.

Northern Cape Premier Sylvia Lucas had declined her nomination to stand as ANC provincial chairperson during the elective conference, and her rival, Zamani Saul, took over the reins of the party.

The new PEC endorsed Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa as its presidential candidate following the provincial elective conference.

ANC provincial secretary Deshi Ngxanga said yesterday that the visit by the officials from Luthuli House was prompted by a group of former PEC and branch members.

The group had approached the president with complaints that they had brought before the secretary-general’s office in the lead-up to the provincial elective conference in May.

“The issues which the PEC had presumed resolved before the provincial conference came up again during the meeting with the national officials.

“A decision was taken by the national officials that a follow-up meeting would take place to finalise the matter,” said Ngxanga.

He indicated that no resolutions were taken at the meeting.

“The national officials will inform the PEC of the date of the next meeting.”

Ngxanga dispelled rumours that the PEC had met on Friday to disband the regional executive committee (REC) in the Frances Baard region or its chairperson, who were part of the delegation that hosted the Dlamini Zuma lecture.

“The PEC sees this as a malicious attempt that seeks to suggest that the PEC was elected to purge comrades, and that is not why the PEC was elected.

“Our primary task, as the PEC, is to unite this province, which is what we have been working towards,” said Ngxanga.

He added that the provincial leadership was never formally invited to attend the Freedom Charter lecture or the OR Tambo games and lecture that also took place on Saturday.

“We have noted, however, in the media that the region has, over the weekend, held two parallel programmes. The PEC was never formally invited to both programmes.”