KZN ANC gearing up for conferences

THE ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is intensifying preparations as four of its regions gear up to hold regional elective conferences before the end of March, with the provincial executive committee lekgotla set for this weekend to finetune details.

The eThekwini conference is hugely anticipated as former regional chairperson and axed mayor Zandile Gumede attempts to make a comeback as chairperson of the region for another term.

Other regions set to hold their conferences include the Moses Mabhida region, the Lower South Coast region and General Gizenga Mpanza region (formerly KwaDukuza region).

ANC KZN spokesperson Ricardo Mthembu said that there was the possibility of a fifth regional conference in the province as the Josiah Gumede region (previously Ukhahlamba) had a vacancy for a secretary.

He said the provincial lekgotla would see the party emerge with a roadmap that would indicate the time frame for intricacies such as the period for branch general meetings (BGMs).

Last year the ANC introduced a new, modern, online membership system with the aim of speeding up the delivery of membership cards, enabling the renewal of membership electronically and to avert gatekeeping, which has plagued the party for years.

However, Mthembu said because the system was new to the party, they had been confronted with some challenges as it needed to be upgraded before the uploading of membership details.

Upgrades were under way at the ANC’s Luthuli House headquarters.

When asked what specific challenges the system had given them, Mthembu said: “Whenever you install new systems, there are always challenges. You have to conduct workshops for administrators, people who deal with membership rolls because it’s unlike the previous system where we used a membership pack.”