Squabbles tear up three ANC regions

LEADERSHIP squabbles continue to tear three key ANC regions apart before the local government elections next year.

The troubled regions are eThekwini, the biggest in the country; Musa Dladla, the second-biggest in the province (Richards Bay, Empangeni and surrounds); and Lower South Coast (Port Shepstone and surrounds).

Political analyst Imraan Buccus believes the infighting could distract the party from preparing for the elections.

“As we move closer to the elections we should be concerned that the ruptures within the ANC will affect these critical elections, bearing in mind that that these inform key local development programmes,” he said.

In the Lower South Coast region, members have complained about the election of secretary Mzwandile Mkhwanazi to retain his position for a third term.

In the Musa Dladla region, party members, who wanted former National Union of Metalworkers of SA president Cedric Gina to be regional chairman, said they had accepted defeat during the October conference in which Thulani Mashaba won the position. But they said there was no unity, as they had since been treated as outcasts and were sidelined from party activities.

The eThekwini region has since late last year been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons as the rivalry between supporters of mayor James Nxumalo and former regional treasurer Zandile Gumede led to the failure of the region to hold its conference successfully.

Aggrieved ANC members of the Lower South Coast this week threatened to stage a sitin at the regional office in Port Shepstone and render it nonfunctional until provincial and national leaders attended to their concerns. They are demanding a rerun of November’s conference.

“We are not going to campaign for the party leading up to the local government elections, and opposition parties will emerge,” said concerned ANC member Mbongeni Ngcungwana.

He said that Mkhwanazi had been appointed after delegates’ credentials were manipulated.

“Now we want change of the entire regional leadership.”

Ngcungwana led a group of ANC members to the Durban City Hall on Tuesday to meet members of the national executive committee about their concern.

President Jacob Zuma, his deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize, chairwoman Baleka Mbete and deputy secretarygeneral Jessie Duarte were in Durban to meet the provincial executive committee about problems facing eThekwini.

Ill-disciplined

However, instead of giving them a platform, Mantashe dismissed the Lower South Coast members as “ill-disciplined comrades”.

“We are not going to entertain ill-disciplined members. They bused comrades in all the way from Port Shepstone to picket. We are here to deal with eThekwini region,” said Mantashe.

ANC Lower South Coast spokesman Sipho Dlamalala said the province’s task team investigated the complaints and found they were not valid.

“During a youth league cadre forum at Uvongo Town Hall on March 21 the comrades stormed the meeting, chanted slogans and insulted the regional secretary.

“Even when the province held a meeting with branches these people insulted the chairman (Tolomani Mnyayiza),” said Dlamalala.

In the Musa Dladla region, the conference happened while Gina’s supporters were aggrieved about five branches being disqualified by the party auditors.