However, the dates will change to allow all branches to complete their meetings (BGMs) as per the party’s constitution.
This is the first elective conference to be held since then chairperson, David Mabuza, and the former deputy, Violet Siwela, were elected to the organisation’s high offi ces, with Mabuza serving as deputy president and Siwela as a national executive committee member.
Court cases and violent cases have plagued the party’s attempts at holding an elective conference over the past three years. Now, with a date set, violence at branch general meetings have garnered national attention. Last week, reports circulated of ANC members being killed at a branch general meeting in Nkomazi.
However, police in the province denied the allegations, but confi rmed that several attendees had been critically injured. During last week’s extraordinary provincial executive committee meeting which was attended by the deputy secretary general, Jesse Duarte, a motion to expel those involved in the Nkomazi violence was tabled with a few opposing it.
READ: Man killed in fight at ANC branch general meeting
“The PEC has taken a resolution that everyone who will be found to have instigated or participated in the violence that broke out in Nkomazi must be suspended and face disciplinary actions,” said the party’s acting secretary, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali. “We are also calling on the law enforcement agencies to fully investigate these allegations. Furthermore, we are calling on the police to furnish us with information on pending violent cases, because there are pending cases that we still need answers on,” continued Ntshalintshali.
She confirmed that the conference will go ahead as planned. “The conference will go ahead as planned, however, we need to consider the fact that we have now lost about two weeks because of the violence that broke out in Nkomazi. So, this in short means that we will have to move the date to allow the branches to fi nish their BGMs. Nothing will stand in the way of the conference. We want to prepare and check how far we have gone and try and push where we are still lagging behind. The problems are not from everywhere and not all the branches are affected. So, the branches that are not affected will continue with their BGMs,” stressed Ntshalintshali.
READ: ANC Provincial Conference date set and agenda laid out
The NEC has deployed a task team to the province to assist the provincial structures on their road to the provincial conference and also investigate violent incidents. The national team will be led by Dr Zweli Mkhize, who according to Ntshalintshali will conduct a thorough investigation into the Nkomazi saga.
