ANC KZN in final stages of preparation for conference

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is in the final stages of preparing for its provincial conference after it was halted last month by a court interdict brought by disgruntled members from three regions, News24 reports.

This is according to the party’s national deputy secretary-general and head of national dispute resolution committee Jessie Duarte.

The disgruntled members had raised concerns about flaws in party processes leading up to the conference, including members being left out of processes, issues with membership and members not being told about branch general meetings.

Duarte told the news site that the national dispute resolution committee ensured that issues in the troubled regions in the province were resolved.

The secretary-general said the resolution committee would complete a report on the troubled regions, which would be submitted to the party’s national executive committee.

She told the publication that it probably had been right to not hold the conference last month because it had afforded the party an opportunity to restore confidence lost through the flawed processes leading up to the meeting.

Footage emerged of delegates at the conference halted by a court interdict last month, singing and drowning out attempts by ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe to address them. They were singing pro-Jacob Zuma songs, asking: “What has Zuma done?”

Mantashe insisted on addressing the delegates, and spoke out against “factionalism”. The former secretary-general of the ANC was booed as he took to the podium. The conference was held at the University of Zululand.

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