Xavier Radio Ug News 24 7
The African National Congress (ANC) in Limpopo says its 11th Provincial Elective Conference will continue as scheduled at the end of this month despite ongoing disputes.
There is an ongoing court battle in the Vhembe District in connection with the legitimacy of the regional elective conference results.
Some disputes of suspected manipulation of branch general meetings have been escalated to the National Executive Council.
The ANC in Limpopo has 568 branches in five regions. 529 branches will vote in this year’s elective congress.
Over 30 branches are still under dispute.
Cases of alleged manipulation of branches are being investigated by the party’s National Executive Committee.
The ANC says while only 15 disputes have already been concluded so far, it’s confident that the rest will be resolved before next week, on Friday.
Briefing the media in Polokwane, Party Provincial Secretary Reuben Madadzhe, said, “We are very confident our national leaders have never let us down. If they say give us time, we will finish before the end of the week, we are so certain by that time they will be done. So, we have got no doubt that the disputes would still be running. We have learnt our lesson when we were convening regional conferences. That is why, if you check the roadmap of limpopo, that is why in terms of the guidelines, they say you can have two weeks of a cooling period after finishing with your branch general meetings. But the branch general meeting of Limpopo was finished on the 28 of february. So, instead of two weeks, we have got three weeks of cool off period allowing administrative processes to be done on time.”
Madadzhe has distanced himself from the so-called “Unity slate” ahead of the elective congress.
The unity slate, proposed by ANC bigwigs in the province, is likely to see Polokwane mayor, John Mpe and Premier Phophi Ramathuba not contesting each other for the position of provincial chair.
“I do not think the unity slate was circulated from our office. So if it was not circulated by us, then the best people to respond to issues of slates are the ones who circulated it to the media. To push the provincial secretary or to demote him to speak like a leader of a faction, it will be very unfortunate for the organisation and also for the membership of the anc in the province. I cannot speak on behalf of factions. I am not responsible for them. Whether the name of the provincial secretary appears there, but I think the media knows since the start of the processes there is no single time where I said I belong to this faction and it is speaking on my behalf.”
Meanwhile, Madadzhe has also addressed the limited number of female candidates in this year’s elective congress.
Dr Ramathuba is the only female candidate in the Unity slate.
Madadzhe says nomination of candidates is a prerogative of the branches. “We do not have authority as the PEC to push through the throat of the branches female candidates. We do not have powers. I am not their spokesperson. And the best people to speak to issues of emancipation are us, and also the women’s league. But we believe in women in leadership.”
Over 1300 people, including guests and members of the media, are expected to attend the conference.
www.sabcnews.com, https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/anc-limpopo-presses-ahead-with-march-elective-congress-amid-disputes/
