Free State ANC delegates attending conference

2012-12-14 14:28

Bloemfontein - The ANC delegates from the Free State will still be able to attend the national elective conference in Mangaung, secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said on Friday.

"There's no question about the delegation from the Free State, it's about the PEC [provincial executive committee]," Mantashe told reporters in Bloemfontein.

This was after the Constitutional Court declared the Free State's provincial elective conference and the newly elected PEC invalid.

The national executive committee (NEC) would discuss the matter on Saturday.

Mantashe said the registration of delegates for the Mangaung conference and the provincial nomination conference was not overseen by the PEC.

"The PEC, if it is null or valid, does not oversee the process," he said.

Mantashe said the ANC could not interpret the Constitutional Court judgement.

ANC will comply with judgement

"The Constitutional Court gave a brief judgement which nullifies the Free State conference.

"The reasons will be given to us on Tuesday, so we can't really interpret the judgement."

He said the ANC would comply with the judgement.

"If we must re-run the conference, we will re-run it."

Mantashe said the decision would not have an effect on the party's national elective conference starting on Sunday.

"It means national conference is going ahead; provincial conference is nullified."

Of the 16 court cases the ANC had been involved in this was the first one it had lost, said Mantashe.
"From today we have lost one court case."

The ANC has always frowned upon its members taking the party to court.

"There is a decision of the ANC - if you take the ANC to court without exhausting all [other] processes you are expelling yourself from the ANC," said Mantashe.

- SAPA