Lekota to attend faction meeting

2008-10-10 16:07

Johannesburg - An ANC faction in the Western Cape announced on Friday it would host a public meeting this weekend which would be attended by former defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota.

The axed secretary of the ANC's Dullah Omar region, Mbulelo Ncedana, said the public meeting on Saturday would "decide on the final way forward" alongside Lekota, who has indicated he may start a new political party.

Ncedana declined to say if a new party would be launched.

"This [public meeting] emanates from meetings we had last week after we handed over a memorandum to the office of the secretary general of the ANC in relation to the conference of the Western Cape ANC that was highly corrupted," said Ncedana.

"Tomorrow [Saturday] we will be receiving requests as to what people are saying should be the direction... We will then decide the final way forward."

He said about 5 000 members of ANC branches across the province were expected to attend.

Lekota had also been invited, added Ncedana.

"We have invited comrade Terror [Mosiuoa Lekota] to attend the meeting because the issues he has raised are the same issues we have raised. He is going to attend."

A new political party?

A provincial conference in the Western Cape two weeks ago showed evidence of divisions in the ANC when Ncedana organised a separate meeting of several hundred people, claiming fraud in the way in which delegates had been decided.

The group has asked the ANC's national leadership to intervene, but said it had received no response.

The provincial conference elected pro-Jacob Zuma leaders and disbanded the executive committee of the Dullah Omar region, which includes the Cape metro and has about 30 000 members in 85 branches.

Ncedana is also the leader of the ANC's caucus in the Cape Town city council.

Last Saturday, he had a meeting with branch chairs of the Overberg, Boland, West Coast and Southern Cape regions.

Earlier this week, Lekota said he had "served divorce papers" on the ANC which he believed was moving "away from ANC policies".

Lekota said he would call for a national convention to discuss the possibility of a new political party to contest next year's elections.

Lekota was one of a string of cabinet members who resigned alongside former president Thabo Mbeki who was forced out of office by the national executive committee of the ANC.

Lekota was not immediately available for comment.

- SAPA