25/07/2008 10:08 - (SA)
ANC's Free State top five elected unopposed
By Sabelo Ndlangisa
FREE State ANC strongman Ace Magashule and his top four officials were elected unopposed at the party's elective provincial conference in Parys yesterday.
Magashule was elected chairman after his rival and former ally Pat Mathosa failed to secure nominations from 30 branches before the conference. Mathosa would have needed 25 percent of votes from the 853 conference delegates.
Thabo Manyoni was appointed Magashule's deputy, Sibongile Besane was appointed provincial secretary and Mamiki Qabathe was appointed deputy secretary, and Mxolisi Dukwana was appointed treasurer.
Because the five were elected unopposed, no elections were held.
Speaking to journalists afterwards, Magashule said he was not surprised that he was re-elected into the position that he has been receiving nominations for since 1991. It was only in 1995 that he voluntarily turned down nomination when he, Mosioua Lekota and Mathosa were nominated for the same position.
Mathosa beat Lekota in that contest.
Magashule denied claims that he had rigged the process by keeping out those branches that opposed his re-election. Some party members unsuccessfully tried to get a court interdict to prevent the conference from taking place.
"I don't know whether I can be so powerful as to control all towns in the province. I haven't even attended one branch general meeting (where candidates were nominated)," he said.
Today the conference is expected to pledge money for ANC president Jacob Zuma, who will also address the conference, ahead of his criminal trial.
The money will be collected church-style from members in fulfillment of a provincial resolution to give material support to the party boss in these trying times.
"Members will be saying go and buy bread because we don't know where you are getting money from. We are saying money must come from members so that no one can say Zuma has not declared.
"(We will say) spend it the way you want to spend it: if you want to do car wash, go and wash the car," Magashule said.
ANC Youth League boss Julius Malema said the ANC president will run the country from behind bars if he is convicted of fraud and corruption.
Speaking at the conference earlier, Malema called for the criminal charges against Zuma to be dropped "because arresting him won't stop him from becoming the president of the country."
"If you arrest him, he'll lead us from jail. He will be a president in orange," he said.
He also called upon the conference to re-elect provincial chairman ace Magashule saying he was the only person who could keep the party united in the province.
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