The ANC Ekurhuleni elective conference has been rocked by disruptions with claims of member manipulation.
The conference, being held in Fourways, Johannesburg, over the weekend, was set to start on Saturday but had to be delayed several times over accusations that some members have been disqualified and certain branches have been excluded.
There are also reports of problems with the verification process at the conference.
Political analyst Levy Ndou said the disruptions were unfortunate but not surprising. Speaking to eNCA, he blamed the ANC for the ongoing membership manipulation challenges it faces.
“In a situation where there is hot contestation, and in a situation where the incumbent will have to leave office and new people will have to come in, you’ll get these kinds of activities happening,” said Ndou.
“But, at the same time, one would expect the ANC to be able to do their things better.
“[You’d expect them to] improve their membership systems; improve on how they arrange branch, regional and other gatherings so that they don’t face the kind of challenges that they face today.”
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Ekurhuleni Chairperson Mzwandile Masina is up against the ANC’s former regional treasurer Doctor Xhakaza.
Masina is running for a third term as regional ANC chairperson.
Xhakaza’s supporters claim branches that have shown support towards him have been excluded from participating in the conference.
Masina, however, is preaching unity.
Speaking to the SABC, Masina said ANC members in Ekurhuleni need to unite to regain power in the metro.
“We’ve lost all out metros [in Gauteng], so the party must rebuild itself and the membership of the ANC is here to assist us to ensure that the party is rebuilt. Once we’re able to do that, we should be able to do the same thing in Johannesburg and Tshwane.”
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There wasn’t much unity on display on Friday when branch members protested and threw objects outside the registration venue in Boksburg.
Masina reportedly called those members “bouncers and drunkards”.
He said branches that were disqualified had not followed due processes.
“There is no need for anyone to organise bouncers and drunkards to destabilise the ANC. What should preoccupy us is that we have lost power. You cannot come here and force entry when you have not followed due processes. What you saw there (in Boksburg) is gangsterism,” Masina said.
Ndou said that some members and branches no longer trust those within the ANC responsible for validation.
“This is not new in the ANC. We’ve seen these challenges in the Eastern Cape and now they’re happening in Ekurhuleni,” he said.
Ndou said the ANC needs to create better systems so members “don’t feel like they’ve been unfairly disqualified from participating in these conferences”.
