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Mpumalanga ANC branch breaks ranks

An elite Mpumalanga ANC branch, whose members have broken ranks with Premier David Mabuza’s call for unity and nominated Cyril Ramaphosa, has lodged a complaint against manipulation of nomination processes and fraud.

Ward 17 branch in Mpumalanga’s capital city, Mbombela, has been rebelling against the party’s provincial executive committee’s (PEC’s) attempt to shove a directive down branch members’ throats. The directive says they should not nominate individuals for positions in the upcoming elective conference in December.

The branch counts Energy Minister David Mahlobo, Economic Development Deputy Minister Madala Masuku, member of Parliament Fish Mahlalela and others in senior positions as members. Mahlalela is Ramaphosa’s campaign convener in Mpumalanga.

Mabuza has been championing the unity project in the ANC and cajoling branches in all provinces to opt for an uncontested conference where leaders should be elected by a consensus.

All Mpumalanga regions and the PEC have resolved that Mabuza should be the next deputy president, but are indecisive about the position of president.

Defiant

The premiers of Free State, Ace Magashule, and of North West, Supra Mahumapelo, along with Gauteng provincial chairperson Paul Mashatile have bought into Mabuza’s unity initiative.

However, some branches in his own back yard, such as Ward 17, have defied him and opted to nominate Ramaphosa and former treasurer-general Mathews Phosa during their branch general meetings.

The ward’s complaint was among 16 disputes in the province, which were tabled before a dispute resolution team from the national executive committee last Friday.

In a written complaint, the ward branch secretary Sello Shai accused Ehlanzeni regional chairperson Ngrayi Ngwenya of hijacking and chairing the branch meeting on October 31 instead of overseeing it.

“He verbally attacked branch executive members. He allowed people who were not on the audited list to participate, nominate and be nominated. He further attacked Ramaphosa and Phosa, and said they and their families were corrupt,” Shai said.

During the meeting, the complaint read, one member was found to have signed the attendance register on behalf of another and there were names of dead comrades on the register. The branch chairperson, Thulani Sibuyi, was also denied an opportunity to read documents and discuss policies.

The complaint indicates that two previous meetings had failed because Ehlanzeni deployees deliberately left documents to conduct the branch general meeting behind.

“Most members in our branch support CR17, but we have those working for their stomachs,” Shai said.

Ngwenya denied that he did anything wrong.

“All guidelines were followed. Individual members [such as Shai] are complaining because they want to be delegates. I have no interest in who is nominated,” Ngwenya said.

“The problem is that branch leaders prefer certain leaders to lead nationally and cause divisions in their branches. It is for that reason that the PEC has not been nominated,” he said.

Mpumalanga ANC secretary Mandla Ndlovu said the PEC’s resolution endorsing Mabuza as deputy president was just advice.

“Branches are given space to nominate whoever they want to nominate. A provincial general council will take a position once the views of the branches are consolidated,” Ndlovu said. “Mabuza will deputise someone who is willing to work with him.”

Mabuza is already out of the race to be Ramaphosa’s deputy. Ramaphosa announced Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor as his running mate last week.

However, the Practical Radical Economic Transformation (Pret), a Mpumalanga nongovernmental organisation, has said that it will influence branches to nominate Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Pret’s president, Themba Sigudla, is Mabuza’s friend and the premier has committed his government to working with Pret in order to create jobs and business opportunities for unemployed youths in the province.

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