Africa-Press – South-Africa. The ANC’s eThekwini conference hangs in the balance
after branch delegates could not agree on who should be allowed to vote, and
arguments continued into the early hours of Sunday morning.After more than eight hours of debating, the meeting
at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre in Durban was adjourned at
04:00, and there was uncertainty over whether it would resume on time on
Sunday.At the centre of the dispute is whether regional
task team leaders – a tentative leadership structure – would be allowed to vote
in the high-stakes conference.Thabani Nyawose, speaker of eThekwini Municipality.Gallo Images PHOTO: Gallo Images/Darren Stewart The media wasn’t privy to the details, but insiders
said the inclusion of 13 delegates from the ANC’s Women’s League in the region
was a bone of contention.
“Delegates were raising one issue from
another,” an insider said.On the one side of the debate are supporters of
former mayor Zandile Gumede, and on the other are supporters of current
municipal speaker Thabani Nyawose.Gumede’s faction has been referred to as the
radical economic transformation (RET) faction and Nyawose’s has been dubbed the
renew, revive and unite (RRU) faction.READ | ANC eThekwini conference off to
a delayed start amid youth league dispute over delegatesNyawose’s supporters argued that the regional task
team (RTT) should be allowed to vote, but their political opponents argued that
the ANC’s provincial leadership did not allow that in other ANC regional
conferences.A well-placed source said the debate about who
should be allowed to vote proved how high the stakes were.The second source said: This race is very close to call and so every single delegate matters. Both sides need every single delegate that they rely on.The ANC’s eThekwini region is the largest and most
influential region in the party and has a bearing on the ANC’s provincial and
national elective conference, scheduled for July and December.
A win for Gumede’s slate would be seen as a massive
win for former health minister Zweli Mkhize, who is gunning for a position at
the helm of the party.He, together with suspended ANC secretary-general
Ace Magashule and beleaguered ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini, were
in Durban rallying delegates who support Gumede.In his opening address at the conference,
provincial chairperson Sihle Zikalala called out party leaders for meddling in
regional conferences.
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