The Eastern Cape African National Congress (ANC) elective conference will start on Saturday morning with a keynote address expected from the party’s National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe.
Delegates are gathering in East London in the Eastern Cape for the party’s 9th provincial conference.
New party leaders for the Eastern Cape are set to be elected over the weekend. The conference was preceded by registration on Friday.
Over 1 500 voting delegates are expected to take part in the conference this weekend.
Several National Executive Committee members are also deployed in the province to help support and ensure a successful conference.
ANC Eastern Cape Conference gets under way on Friday:
In 2017, the elective conference in the province descended into chaos with delegates throwing chairs at each other while fighting over credentials.
Earlier, the Provincial Task Team Convener Oscar Mabuyane, who is squaring up with his former Treasurer Babalo Madikizela, said they are working ahead to avoid the repeat of violence.
He also warned against some national leaders coming in the Eastern Cape to sow divisions for their own selfish interests.
African National Congress (ANC) Eastern Cape Conference Convenor, Oscar Mabuyane, has reassured delegates that security has been tightened – as the registration process for the party’s ninth elective conference commences on Friday.
Mabuyane, Babalo Madikizela and Mlibo Qoboshiyane are vying for the position of chairperson.
Speaking during a media briefing in East London on Friday, Mabuyane says, “The issue of the safety of delegates is guaranteed. You can see [in and around] the precinct, how we have tightened up security. People will be free as delegates to express their views and to make sure that they help the ANC to move forward and grow. The issues of credentials, there is a credentials committee which is led by the provincial secretary (Lulama Ngcukayitobi). So that issue will be attended to at an appropriate time,” explains Mabuyane.
The video below is reporting more on the elective conference:
