Former ANC Women’s League President Bathabile Dlamini has been disqualified from contesting any National Executive Committee (NEC) positions at the party’s upcoming National Conference.
Dlamini received a total of 856 nominations from branches coming out 15th in popularity to stand in the 80-member structure.
The ANC’s Electoral Committee broke the news to Dlamini in a letter on Wednesday following its process of vetting nominees. The Committee says it bases its decision on information that Dlamini has been found guilty of a serious crime for which the prison sentence has been more than six months, which makes her ineligible to stand.
In April this year, Dlamini was sentenced to four years behind bars or a R200 000 fine for perjury related to the SASSA grants crisis of 2017.
The list was announced by the party’s Electoral Committee chairperson Kgalema Motlanthe last week. This is as the ANC is heading to its conference next week.
ANC member Buda Tsotetsi elaborates on the issue:
Objections will not affect conference adversely
Political analyst Oscar Van Heerden says the objections raised by some disgruntled members of the African National Congress (ANC) ahead of its National Conference from the 16th of this month, are unlikely to affect it adversely.
This comes after the objectors demanded that the total number of branch nominations received per candidate, including branch nominations, be provided.
But the Electoral Committee hit back saying the objections are unfortunate as they are based on a misconception of the ANC Constitution.
Van Heerden says that what the ANC is doing now is ensuring that those elected are in good standing.
“The Committee is busy with vetting, looking at, do you have a criminal record, is there anything untoward in terms of party discipline. There’s a number of people on the list that have had some transgressions on social media, that has clapped a female, and many others. So, these are matter that they are taking into consideration. Once they announce the final list, we are waiting with bated breath to see whether some of those names have actually been removed,” Van Heerden explains.
