Sidelined ANC members want talks
2012-12-16 22:39
Bloemfontein - Free State and North West ANC members in conflict with their party demanded that their case be discussed at the party’s national conference in Mangaung on Sunday.
In a lawyer's letter to ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe, they also sought an undertaking that the entire Free State ANC delegation at the national conference be excluded from any further participation and voting processes.
The ANC’s Mangaung 2012 elective conference started on Sunday in Mangaung.
The group also wants issues raised in an North West ANC court challenge be put up for discussion at the national conference.
The letter relates to six Free State ANC members successfully challenging the provincial party conference of 22 June and getting it declared unlawful in the Constitutional Court.
The ANC national executive committee (NEC) decided to disband the Free State ANC executive committee(PEC) from the national conference but ruled that branch voting delegates could attend.
The NEC stated the branch delegates were not affected by the court order only the Free State PEC.
In North West, 700 disgruntled ANC members failed in a court bit to nullify a recent provincial conference in Rustenburg that chose delegates for the Mangaung conference.
The groups demanded that the issues raised in the two court applications be discussed before the conference.
They also want the ANC to remove Free State ANC leader Ace Magashule and any other member of the PEC declared unlawful, and appointed in an in term provincial task team.
The ANC NEC announced a 20-member task team to run the party in the Free State until a new provincial elective conference could be organised in three month’s time.
The group's letter demands action on the issues listed by noon on Tuesday 18 December 2012.
It states if no answer was given by Tuesday they would be forced to approach a court for relief.
This would include a declaration that the ANC were in contempt of court.
The validity of the Mangaung national conference would also be questioned.
The group would also ask for a punitive cost order.
The eleven page letter, on behalf of both sets of applicants in the Mpho Ramakatsa - Free State- and Kebelo Nonyana - North West - legal matters, was addressed to Mantashe at the ANC’s head office in Johannesburg.
On Sunday night, ANC spokesperson Keith Khoza said he was not aware of the letter.
He said the party was in conference and Mantashe had been busy inside conference venue for most of the day.
- SAPA