Long night ahead for Eastern Cape ANC
2012-11-29 19:01
Alice - The ANC in Eastern Cape expected a long night on Thursday as it started the process of nominating candidates for the party's elective conference in Mangaung next month.
The nomination conference at the University of Fort Hare, in Alice, was scheduled to start at 2pm, but by the middle of the afternoon the auditorium was markedly free of delegates.
"You never know with the comrades," a delegate with a forlorn expression said outside the auditorium, where a few vendors were trying to flog yellow ANC raincoats and berets.
"Sometimes they're early. Sometimes they're late. You just never know.
"You will see they will all arrive at once and the conference will start suddenly."
Organisers at the event were unable to explain where the delegates were.
The ANC's second-largest region, OR Tambo, based in Mthatha, has already unanimously voted to nominate Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe to lead the party.
All 107 delegates at a regional general council meeting on Wednesday supported Motlanthe to take over as president of the party, with Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale as his deputy and Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula as secretary general.
Regional chairperson Thandekile Sabisa told the SABC that, under Zuma, the party had failed to address issues raised at the 2007 Polokwane conference.
"The use of state power, factionalism, ill-discipline, etcetera... This leadership has failed to address those issues. It's not credible, it's under attack and not respected by opposition parties," he said.
"We then said, let's find leadership that will be respected by the people of South Africa and the membership of the ANC. Comrade Kgalema Motlanthe, we believe, is the one that would bring back the dignity of the organisation."
Earlier this month, the Eastern Cape was hit by reports of "ghost members" on its membership book.
Provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane reportedly said it had discovered that databases from public and private institutions had been used to get people's details to enrol them.
Some were not even aware they were ANC members.
The culprits had also deposited R12 joining fees, so the ghost members could be deemed to be in "good standing".
Mabuyane said the problem was discovered when the membership register was checked ahead of branch meetings to discuss the upcoming national elective conference in Mangaung.
The Eastern Cape will take 676 delegates, the second biggest delegation, to the ANC's leadership election in December.
- SAPA
