Africa-Press – South-Africa. ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, lashed out at party members in the Western Cape for being at “each other’s throats” fighting for votes instead of being an active opposition to the DA.
Mbalula said the DA was keeping the ANC on its toes all over the country and was “cruising” in the Western Cape.
He was speaking at the start of the ANC Western Cape provincial conference on Saturday at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
The conference was supposed to have started on Friday.
It was delayed over allegations that some delegates did not have accommodation as it was occupied by other delegates, said provincial convenor Lerumo Kalako on Friday evening.
Delivering his keynote address at the start of the conference, Mbalula said he was pleased that the conference in the Western Cape was finally sitting albeit “under difficult circumstances”.
He said it had taken the ANC in the Western Cape over five years to hold its 9th provincial conference.
Since then, the province had been under an interim provincial committee (IPC).
“I want to thank these comrades of the IPC for holding the fort under very difficult circumstances. Some of them were actually attacked and given names, but they stood firm till this point because they did not appoint themselves, but were appointed by the national executive committee of the African National Congress,” said Mbalula.
He said delegates need to talk about the kind of leadership they want to lead the Western Cape for the ANC.
The province is “facing a difficult revolution”.
“Even in Tshwane, where they have been governing for seven years, they are there, and they still blame it on the ANC even when they are in charge.
“Even in Johannesburg, where they have been in and out of the municipality, they are still blaming everything on the ANC; even in Ekurhuleni and in Port Elizabeth, they are still blaming the ANC,” said Mbalula.
The ANC in the Western Cape was kicked out of power by the DA in 2009 and has struggled to regain ground.
The province is the only one out of the nine where the ANC is the opposition.
“Here in the Western Cape, where they have mismanaged power, they are just cruising; they are having a good time. They have even sold a story to the world that ‘where we govern, we govern well,’ and the world believes them.”
He added:
Cash for votes
The question of money influencing the conference was a recurring theme, even from speakers delivering a message of support who spoke ahead of Mbalula.
Western Cape SACP secretary Benson Ngqentsu said delegates must now allow themselves to be “auctioned” at the conference.
He added that the behaviour of delegates being paid money to vote for a certain outcome was not assisting the party in its renewal and rebuilding ambitions.
He described it as the “regressive tendencies” in the organisation.
“What are, therefore, these regressive tendencies we must confront here in this conference and emerge differently out of this conference? They include key, among other things, politics of regionalism, sexism, racism, and auctioning of delegates through the use of money.”
Ngqentsu added:
Also, giving a message of support, Nompumelelo Hani from the Western Cape veterans league urged delegates to vote with their conscience and not because they were given money.
“I am pleading to the delegates: do not vote because of the sake of voting, do not vote because you were given money, imali izophela [money will run out] and the ANC ayizophela [the ANC will remain],” she said.
Hani, a relative of the late Chris Hani, said she was disappointed over the state of the ANC and wondered what Chris hani would say about the party if he were still alive.
She added:
Over 650 delegates at the conference are expected to vote for new leadership in the Western Cape.
News24 reported recently that the elective conference is expected to be dominated by a faction baptised as Rurals for Change, which rallied the support of close to 90% of all five rural districts.Leading the Rurals for Change grouping is Kalako.
While the party’s leader in the Western Cape legislature, Cameron Dugmore, is also in the race.
Another name that has been punted is that of Section 194 committee chairperson Qubudile Dyantyi.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to close the conference on Sunday.
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