14/06/2008 18:58 - (SA)
ANC's season of storms
Caiphus Kgosana, Piet Rampedi and Makhudu Sefara
THE ANC has warned that more chaos within the organisation lies ahead. Secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, speaking in an exclusive interview with City Press, said the season of provincial and national list conferences would usher in more problems in the short term.
Speaking only hours after the dramatic stabbing of ANC Western Cape secretary Mcebisi Skwatsha, he did however say that a programme to rid the organisation of rogues had now been launched.
The joint letter published in City Press last week by ANC president Jacob Zuma and President Thabo Mbeki was part of the process to remove whatever legitimacy those involved in disruptive and divisive actions could claim.
Mantashe’s message was echoed by ANC national executive committee member deployed in Limpopo Joe Phaahla, party deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe and Skwatsha – indicating a coordinated position to deal with the mayhem that has gripped the party.
Asked how long he expected the turbulence in the party to continue, Mantashe said: “This is the season for conferences, it is going on until the end of July. I think all conferences will be finished then. That will give us space to breathe and begin to engage all structures and rebuild the organisation.
He said the party would step up its efforts to deal with those who resorted to anarchy
“If people think they can do as they wish, you are going to see a few people getting expelled from the ANC. And if people can’t subject themselves to the discipline of the ANC, we must have no room for them in the ANC,” he said.
Mantashe said there were challenges but this did not mean it was a was a gloom and doom situation.
“In the provincial conferences that are coming, you will see relative stability in a number of them. But I know that there will be those odd cases where there is chaos. The party must prepare itself to deal with that type of situation,” said Mantashe.
He said the party learnt from several incidents in the provinces, including recently abandoned ANC Youth League conferences.
“Next week we are going to KwaZulu-Natal. We want to check if lessons learnt will work fairly well there,” said Mantashe.
But party divisions are not as pronounced in KwaZulu-Natal as in North West, Limpopo, the Western and the Eastern Cape.
Tensions have been high in the Western Cape as the provincial elective conference approaches, with opposing factions battling to gain ground in a province that could go either way.
Skwatsha is challenging James Ngculu for the position of provincial chairperson while Ngculu is in an alliance with premier Ebrahim Rasool.
While the provincial executive council says the Boland regional executive council defied it by suspending a local mayor when they were instructed not to do so, some suspect that the dissolution of the regional council is connected to the nominations in that region. Only 12 of the 42 annual general meetings have been held, all of which voted for Skwatsha.
An insider close to Skwatsha said the other faction was suspected of being involved in the attack on him.
Skwatsha supported Zuma ahead of the Polokwane conference while Ngculu and Rasool were seen as Mbeki supporters.
The source said the ANC in the province was conducting its own investigation to determine who the attackers were and whether they were ANC members.
He said information gathered from those who attended the meeting was that the attackers had been provided with transport to the venue and were seen in the company of a Boland regional executive committee member before the attack.
“There are ANC people who were involved in laying this out,” he said.
Police spokesperson Andre Traut said a 30-year-old man arrested in connection with the stabbing would appear in the Worcester Magistrates’ Court tomorrow.
ANC spokesperson Garth Strachan said they were as yet unable to establish whether Skwatsha’s attackers were ANC members.
“If they are, they would have to be subject to disciplinary action,” he said.
In Limpopo, Phaahla said an atmosphere of frustration and desperation generated by ill discipline and violent behaviour necessitated an investigation into whether or not the leadership of the party had not fanned the fires.
“Sometimes you find that those in charge are fuelling things by victimising or blocking others from playing a role. An unequivocal message should have been long sent out to members that competition was allowed as long as it happened within the law,” he said.
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