ANC elders to crack whip before elective conference

A mere two days prior to tomorrow’s (Friday) three-day provincial elective conference of the African National Congress (ANC) in Limpopo, party elders were expected to crack the whip on corruption and bad governance as they have been scheduled to meet with alliance partners in the city yesterday (Wednesday).
The gathering was somehow seen as an opportunity for veterans to convey a message to delegates from across the province who are supposed to meet from late morning tomorrow to take stock of party matters and elect a leadership.
The dialogue between the ANC Veterans League (ANCVL) and alliance partners was expected to attract the South African Communist Party (SACP), the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) whose representatives were supposed to discuss VBS Bank-related issues, corruption, clean governance and the leadership to be elected during the all important conference.
According to ANCVL Provincial Spokesperson Thabiso Mampuru the top leadership of the ANC was invited to the late-morning dialogue and they hoped for them to have been present, but due to conference preparations they might not have been able to form part thereof.
The day prior to the dialogue she stressed the need for the league to discuss matters of concern following a countrywide outcry against corruption after resolutions taken during the organisation’s 54th national conference in December. She explained they wanted a dialogue with representatives of the working class and civil society on the type of leaders they would want to see emerge from the conference, their seriousness about clean governance, dealing with corruption as well as service delivery.
She highlighted the fact that the veterans were always very concerned about the organisation for which they have sacrificed their lives. They needed to look at all issues of concern to the ANC, Mampuru added.
Meanwhile it was established from ANC Limpopo spokesperson Aluwani Netsianda that the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) of the party has given a thumbs up for the elective conference to commence at Protea Hotel Ranch Resort tomorrow. They are still supposed to meet today (Thursday) to finalise arrangements and remaining issues, according to Netsianda.
By Tuesday it was learnt that some disputes raised by branches in the province had been resolved while appeals were being finalised. Netsianda didn’t want to venture into discussing the number of cases raised by branches though.
Although the conference programme doesn’t cater for the election of a top leadership and provincial executive structure alone, it would remain the hottest topic till the moment of truth.
Sanco in Limpopo issued a statement on Tuesday saying their support for the re-election of ANC Provincial Chairperson Stan Mathabatha, who seems to be retaining his hold across regions of Limpopo, and the election of Soviet Lekganyane as Provincial Secretary, a decision by ANC branches that was reportedly opposed by the SACP, was based on principle. Under the leadership and collective the ANC would be able to entrench its place as a mass-based political party, Sanco Limpopo further said in the statement issued by Sipho Dikgale who is its provincial spokesperson.
Dikgale concluded raising the point that one of the major political tasks ahead was to ensure their common overwhelming victory in the upcoming elections and that the SACP through its provincial secretary should contribute fully to the strengthening the alliance as a whole.
Neither SACP Provincial Leader Gilbert Kga­nyago nor Cosatu Provincial Secretary Gerald Twala could be reached on matters of the dialogue and ANC leadership preferences.

Story: YOLANDE NEL
>>observer.yolande@gmail.com