NEC takes over candidate probe
Future of four Bay ANC councillors still to be finalised
THE fate of four Nelson Mandela Bay ANC ward councillors is undecided as the party’s national bosses have taken over the probe to determine whether the processes that elected them were, in fact, flawed.
Should the national executive committee (NEC) agree with Eastern Cape deputy chairman Sakhumzi Somyo that proper party procedures were not followed when the four were chosen as councillor candidates, it could lead to by-elections.
Somyo’s commission was established to investigate the litany of complaints by ANC members and supporters about the councillor candidate list process.
The four councillors who could lose their jobs are Zoliswa Dlula (Ward 27), Xola Tyali (Ward 28), Nomazwi Sonti (Ward 33) and Nomsa Booi (Ward 44).
ANC NEC member Zoleka Capa, flanked by provincial leaders, met Bay branch leaders on Sunday, when the list debacle prior to the August 3 local elections was debated.
Although not on the agenda for discussion at Hoza Hall, in New Brighton, the list bungle is a continuous problem which has led to several protests.
The groups complain that they were told to vote for the ANC and that by-elections would be held later with their preferred people as candidates.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane said yesterday the NEC would probe the outstanding issues highlighted in Somyo’s report with the hope of resolving the debacle.
“The issue of the four councillors and also the ward 43, 54 and 36 [complaints] are the outstanding issues which the NEC will look at,” he said.
“They will be consulting with branches where there was blatant evidence, like in Ward 43 [KwaNobuhle] where there was no candidate registered and the person who was supposed to be the candidate was registered in another ward.
“We hope after their investigation they will consult with the public and find a solution that will work for the party.”
Mabuyane said the future of the four councillors, who were expected to resign after Somyo’s findings, would be determined by the NEC’s probe.
He said Sunday’s meeting was not about the list process but about the roadmap to the regional conference in December.
But party insiders said branches were concerned about the list debacle and wanted to know who should be held responsible.
A branch leader in Motherwell said some people were unhappy about the agenda.
They wanted to know what the way forward was following Somyo’s report.
“We were hoping they would resolve the list issues as they had promised us before the elections,” the leader said.
Another branch leader from Uitenhage said: “There was no plan of action. We wanted answers about the candidate list but nothing was said. It was an unhealthy meeting.”
However, a branch leader from KwaDwesi said they were told 49 branches had been audited and verified as legitimate.
“Seven other branches are being audited and, hopefully, 55 branches in good standing will go to the conference,” the leader said.
ANC regional task team coordinator Beza Ntshona also confirmed the meeting was about the roadmap to the conference.
“We have members who are mischievous because the meeting was not meant to investigate Somyo,” he said.