PAC 'heading for a split'

2003-07-16 12:21

Cape Town - The Pan Africanist Congress appears to be heading for a split, as supporters of Thami ka Plaatjie call for a third national congress.

The former PAC secretary-general and his supporters walked out of the Soweto congress last month just before the leadership elections were to be held.

Then, PAC deputy president Motsoko Pheko was elected party president to replace Stanley Mogoba.

Plaatjie's supporters are now demanding a third congress, accusing Pheko of "renting voters" for the leadership election.

The 2002 Umtata congress was nullified after the discovery of fraudulent activity by some of the party's branches.

The leadership election was stopped halfway because many voters were found to be underage, while it was discovered that others were not PAC members.

Spokesperson for the group supporting Plaatjie, Thabo Manamela, on Wednesday accused Pheko of busing a Free State football club to Soweto and allowing them to vote.

"These were rented voters. They were non-PAC members and voted. He used the football club to replace the underage children.

"Pheko would stop at nothing to gain the presidency of the PAC," he said.

'Madness' to call another congress

Manamela said his group had sent a letter to Pheko and new secretary-general Mofihli Likotsi on June 25 asking that a new congress be convened.

In terms of the party's constitution, a special congress can be convened if one third of the branches at the last congress sign a petition asking for one.

"We have more than a third of that number asking for a new congress," he said.

Pheko was given until July 31 to respond to the letter.

However, PAC spokesman Waters Toboti denied receiving any correspondence.

"We are getting our information through the press," he said.

It was "madness" to call a third congress. "I am not saying there is no split, but we have not had any correspondence from within the party."

Manamela said it had come to their attention that letters asking for a new congress were being destroyed.

Toboti said anybody who was unhappy within the party was free to leave.

"This is a democratic country. They are free to go."

Toboti said: "There will not be a congress next month or next year. The next congress will be only in 2006."

- SAPA