Fraud took place in ANC’s Eastern Cape branches, court rules

Grassroots democracy won the day at the Eastern Cape High Court in East London.

On Thursday, the court ruled as unlawful and unconstitutional fraudulently organised elective ANC branch biennial general meetings (BBGMs), and branch general meetings (BGMs) in the party’s Dr WB Rubusana district in Eastern Cape.

ANC branch members that brought the case celebrated as the ruling declared that the decisions, resolutions and outcomes of BBGMs and BGMs held during February and March in the Rubusana region were effectively now null and void.

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In line with an application by disgruntled members, Judge GNZ Mjali interdicted and ordered the regional conference of Rubusana scheduled for today to be stopped, pending the finalisation of all internal appeals.

The judge also ordered the ANC to ensure compliance with the party’s constitution and its resolutions in the meetings.

The judgement appeared to vindicate a decision by Luthuli House to order ANC Eastern Cape to postpone Rubusana and Sarah Baartman’s regional conferences scheduled from Friday until Sunday.

In a letter to ANC provincial task team coordinator Lulama Ngcukayitobi, party treasurer-general Paul Mashatile also nullified all the outcomes of the fraudulent BBGMs and BGMs and ordered that the meetings should reconvene properly.

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Mashatile, who is acting secretary-general of the ANC, acted on the strength of a report by a high-level team comprising Senzo Mchunu, Nomvula Mokonyane and Mojalefa Nale.

The team found that indeed manipulation of BGMs and BBGMs occurred in Rubusana. Mashatile dispatched the team after receiving complaints from regional task team convenor Mawethu Marata.

Marata said many branches did not achieve a quorum but were recorded as having taken place.

The team confirmed that a regional membership officer at Rubusana manipulated the membership system by enlisting new members as existing members in the ANC data base.

Two ANC national call centre staff members were suspended and now face disciplinary action for allegedly aiding the manipulation by uploading members without the knowledge of the branch and regional leaderships.

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The call centre manipulators were named as Muziwandile Vilakazi, Siya Momeni and Susan Radebe.

“As a result of these findings the affected staff members will face disciplinary action.

“All members fraudulently registered must be removed from the membership database and they should be afforded an opportunity to go through prescribed processes.

“All BBGMs where members registered fraudulently must be nullified and those branches must reconvene. BBGMs for branches that are not affected by manipulation should proceed,” Mashatile said.

Earlier, it was alleged that the manipulators enlisted even dead people as delegates at BGMs in East London.