Meeting for angry ANC members

2008-10-13 18:12

Bloemfontein - A group of disgruntled Free State ANC members on Monday announced that a provincial convention would be held to test the idea of attending a national convention as proposed by former national party chairperson Mosiuoa "Terror" Lekota.

Former Free State MEC for housing and Welkom businessman Vax Mayekiso said those organising the provincial conference were ANC members recently "locked out" of the party and who were applicants in court matters launched in the Free State.

The provincial convention will take place on Sunday in Winburg.

"We had been approached by different people asking us if we are going to attend the convention proposed by comrade Terror," Mayekiso said in Bloemfontein.

He said members who had been locked out of recent provincial party conferences or "excluded from the ANC's internal process" had met on Sunday to discuss the issues.

"We then took a decision that perhaps it would be in our best interest to attend the proposed convention."

Mayekiso said the group also decided that those matters that were contained in their court applications needed a political solution.

He denied that Lekota had any part in the organising of the provincial convention.

"We are responding to the proposed convention. We are still doing our own thing."

Mayekiso said Lekota would have to decide for himself if he wanted to attend the Winburg convention.

He said initial indications were that ANC delegates from 189 branches in the Free State might go to the convention.

Mayekiso as well as other ANC members turned to the Bloemfontein High Court earlier this year to stop regional ANC conferences which they alleged were held in contravention of the ANC Constitution in the run-up to the provincial conference.

The ANC had described these members as a small, disgruntled group who lost their race for leadership positions.

- SAPA