Africa-Press – South-Africa. Last-minute interventions by the office of the ANC’s secretary-general and the party’s national executive committee (NEC) deployees in the North West led to the ill-prepared provincial conference going ahead.
This was according to North West ANC interim provincial committee (IPC) spokesperson Kenneth Morolong.
Briefing the media on Friday in Rustenburg, where the conference’s accreditation processes were taking place, Morolong explained that, initially, the IPC needed another week to prepare for the conference.
He said:
“But we also sought council from the secretary-general’s office and the national executive committee deployees in the province. Remember, we don’t take ourselves to the conference, we are taken to the conference by the NEC, who said let’s go ahead. We are content that, following their counsel, things are taking shape in the province,” said Morolong.
The IPC made a last-minute announcement on Thursday that the conference would be going ahead the next day, which led to a chaotic start to the conference with delays affecting proceedings.
Explaining the delays, Morolong said, “I know for a fact that we had to wait for the outcomes of the national dispute resolution committee with respect to appeals that members of the ANC lodged with respect to complaints relating to the work of the provincial resolution committee.
“This has since been resolved, and we are glad to announce that the outcomes of the appeals have been communicated to all those who appealed,” he said.
Morolong told journalists on Friday that branch delegates were only set to start their accreditation process in the afternoon, with no exact time as to when proceedings would eventually begin.
He also confirmed that an attempt by some delegates to prevent the IPC members from voting at the conference was pending.
Morolong said:
Following disputes in other provinces and regions the ANC’s NEC has ruled that interim structures are entitled to vote at elective conferences. The conference has been postponed twice before, with the IPC citing unresolved disputes by branches in the province.
Morolong said the postponements had given the process a “sense of credibility” and “gives us comfort that we fully deliberated on all disputes and came up with best possible resolutions”.
Those vying for the provincial chairperson position includes current premier Bushy Maape and former human settlements MEC Nono Maloyi. Former provincial chairperson Supra Mahumapelo is also said to be among those expected to accept nominations should branches throw their weight behind him.
Economic development MEC Kenetswe Mosengi also confirmed to News24 that she would contest the position of chairperson should she be nominated.
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