The African National Congress’ (ANC) National Chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, says the party will lose power if members continue to abuse their positions.
Mantashe has called on members to protect the ANC brand.
He was addressing delegates at the Lejweleputswa regional conference held near Venterburg.
Meanwhile, some ANC delegates were barred from attending the conference after a commotion ensued.
Mantashe has warned that politics of the stomach will cripple the organisation. He says despite the latest developments where members have opted to not be part of the Lejweleputswa regional conference, progress has been made in rebuilding the region.
Mantashe says when he paid the area a visit in August not even one branch was in good standing but today 54 branches qualified for the conference.
He says as a former secretary of the party he had to defend court challenges brought by members of the party and the same will be done again as members threaten to take the party to court.
Mantashe says, “Divisions is a behaviour of human beings. you work for unity others break away small pieces of that disgruntled group comes back you must be patient and bring them back “
Mantashe also says the party will lose power if members do not work together.
“We will. we might not but we will because power is not an individual terrain power is for the ANC and the ANC is ANC when we work together. When we break ourselves we give that power away because we want people to choose individuals in the anc. we should unite because that is what makes the ANC the ANC.”
Mantashe calls on members to protect the ANC brand:
Some members have reported that nine branches were excluded from the Lejweleputswa regional conference as their branch election results had not yet been verified.
The members who attempted to attend the conference on the first day, which was Sunday, now question the legality of the conference. They say party processes were not followed.
Shima Mahlatsi was among the branch delegates who found themselves outside the conference.
“Within those 14 days, the conference convenes, excluding those nine branches. Before we can go anywhere, it then tells you that particular process was unconstitutional; it locked out so many branches that are within the legal requirements of the African National Congress constitution.”
Incoming chairperson Xolile Toki says they will drive the ANC’s mandate forward.
Some delegates from the region were apparently barred from attending the conference.
“What we can confirm is that all delegates have been invited from all 54 branches that are qualified by the verification, by the organising team and signed by the the current acting Secretary General, Paul Mashatile. They were invited several times. They were invited, though we were still waiting for the verification report.”
The IPC says it is working on building a strong foundation to pave the way for the provincial conference.
ANC Free State Provincial Interim Committee Convenor Mxolisi Dukwana has condemned the actions of those interdicting conferences.
“Our own comrades have been self-serving, self-centred, and inward looking, actually damaging the brand of the organisation. This is unfortunate and should not be tolerated moving forward, and that is what we intend doing, making sure that we will not allow tendencies that are wrong to be masqueraded as if people are complaining genuinely when they know why.”
The IPC says it is waiting for a verification report from the NEC for it to hold its provincial conference this weekend.
Two parallel regional conferences held in Mangaung:
