‘Conferences just a fantasy for us’ – ANC Free State members launch yet another court action against leaders

Members of the African National Congress (ANC) in the Free State have filed yet another court application in the high court, seeking to have interim regional and provincial structures disbanded for failing to organise elective conferences and “leaving them in the cold” ahead of the December national conference.

None of the Free State regions has held a conference, while the date for the provincial conference was postponed numerous times. After postponement to 30 September, the IPC on Monday announced that the provincial conference was once again shifted to end of October.

After numerous protests and court litigations, the continued infighting and the disatrous state of the ANC in the province still hinder proper preparations for members to elect new leaders ahead of December.

‘Party abandoned its responsibilities for Free State’

The court papers listed Luthuli House, acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile, Mangaung and the IPC as the respondents.

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The governing party and Mashatile are accused of “unlawfully, unconstitutionally” abandoning their job of leading them to conferences in the province.

They likened their state of affairs to 2012, where the courts barred the then Ace Magashule-led provincial committee from participating in the Mangaung national conference that year.

“The respondents have continued to run roughshod over the ANC members political rights. We are in no way in a better position than we were at the time of the first application and are in fact in a worse off position.

“The holding of regional, provincial and national conferences and participation therein has become a distant mirage. A national leadership will be elected in December 2022, and it is unfathomable that we as members of the ANC would not be able to participate in such an epoch event.”

“Frankly, we do not want a repetition of the 2012 debacle, we cannot afford to squander the opportunity to participate in charting the socio-political trajectory of this country by standing on the sidelines whilethe rest of the ANC community is exercising its constitutional rights.”

According to the branch members, the term of office of the regional and provincial committees has expired, and therefore have no mandate over branches. They further accused the IPC of illegally disbanding branches.

Party blames electronic membership system

IPC spokesperson Oupa Khoabane said there were problems regarding the new membership system introduced by Luthuli House in January 2020.

The electronic system is controlled from the head office, and was implemented to prevent gatekeeping and manipulation of membership lists, especially at branch meetings.

“There are programmes almost every week to get branches to hold BGM [branch general meetings], but the failure of the QR quotes and scanners have had serious hinderance for many of the BGMs in the province.

“Even those who took the ANC to court have also experienced that, those are the things that have kept us where we are as as the Free State.”

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Khoabane said the party cannot resort to manual membership verification and registration in contrast to other provinces.

“That system is also used for provincial and national conference purposes. What happens in other provinces should also take place in the Free State. We rely on the system to capture branch meetings.

“It’s beyond our control, and the NEC is aware of this. The problem of unpaid ANC workers who embark on labour action also contributed because those workers are the ones who should provide members with the QR qoutes.”

The IPC is led by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ally Mxolisi Dukwana, who is eyeing the provincial chairperson post.

Last month, Dukwana was booed and pelted with cans and bottles by Magashule’s supporters as he tried to address branch members during a meeting with the party’s top brass in Mangaung.

They heckled him while singing songs praising the former premier and his hero, former president Jacob Zuma.

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