ANC still in intense internal discussions

AFFIDAVITS DEADLINE PASSED

NEGOTIATIONS between the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal and the aggrieved party rebels, who successfully interdicted the provincial conference last month, are still in progress. However, yesterday was the final day for the ANC in KZN to file opposing affidavits in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.

On the eve of the 8th provincial conference last month, disgruntled members from four regions obtained an interim interdict halting the all-important meeting and subsequently said that unless issues like gate-keeping, political instability and threats of violence were dealt with, they would not rescind their case.

The intense behind-thescenes negotiations have been taking place with the provincial task team and members of the national executive committee on the one hand, and disgruntled members from branches in Moses Mabhida, Harry Gwala‚ eThekwini and Lower South Coast regions, on the other.

The co-ordinator for the ANC task team in KZN, Sihle Zikalala, said it was hoping to settle the matter out of court which is why talks were still continuing until late yesterday.

“We are engaging with the ANC members and their lawyers. Our view is to settle this out of court,” he said.

After the aggrieved members interdicted the conference, ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte led a dispute resolution team to the province to try to convince the members to withdraw their high court application against the party.

Duarte met members from various branches of the Moses Mabhida region at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall on the same day their counterparts were gathering at the Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg to start the regional election conference, which was also interdicted.

Speaking yesterday on the sidelines of the closed discussions, one of the applicants from the Moses Mabhida region, Zanele Sithole, said they had not yet decided on whether to withdraw their court interdict.

“The discussions are still ongoing and I don’t think a decision will come out today. We are still with the lawyers and other parties and negotiations are continuing,” Sithole said.

Last year, a full bench at the Pietermaritzburg High Court dissolved KwaZulu-Natal’s provincial executive committee that was elected in November 2015, citing a number of irregularities before and during that elective conference.

In January 2018, the ANC national executive committee appointed an interim leadership comprising both the supporters of former president Jacob Zuma and those supporting President Cyril Ramaphosa with Zikalala co-ordinating the task team and Mike Mabuyakhulu convening the team.

Speaking on the issues raised by the disgruntled members, Mabuyakhulu said they were internal matters and the media would be notified once a decision had been finalised.