Pretoria - The legality of the upcoming ANC North West elective conference in Rustenburg looks set to be challenged in court.
At the same time, some party members are bracing themselves for renewed calls for party president Cyril Ramaphosa to step down.
Yesterday, an ANC North West factional group also threw its weight behind a campaign to be pioneered by the Radical Economic Transformation (RET) group for Ramaphosa to step down, and to allow him time to attend to allegations against him regarding non-compliance with tax laws.
The RET group plans to march to Luthuli House next Friday following reports of a robbery at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala Farm in February 2020.
It is alleged that Ramaphosa failed to disclose a large amount of money which was being kept in his farmhouse when the robbers pounced.
The allegations against Ramaphosa surfaced earlier this month after former spy boss Arthur Fraser opened criminal charges of money laundering, defeating the ends of justice and kidnapping against the president.
The City of Joburg has apparently granted them permission to march.
Now, the aggrieved ANC North West members have vowed to be part of a “national march by ANC members” to Luthuli House, to demand the stepping down of Ramaphosa.
The ANC members also hope to use that opportunity to ask their party’s top leadership to intervene in the provincial disputes or face court action.
The imminent court challenge came as six candidates, former ANC MP Nana Maloyi; incumbent Premier Bushy Maape; former premier and party provincial chairperson Supra Mahumapelo; incumbent North West ANC interim leader Hlomani Chauke; and provincial task team member Motlalepula Rosho have already confirmed their availability to lead the ANC in the province.
North West MEC for Economic Development and former ANC Youth League deputy secretary-general Kenetswe Mosenogi is the latest to join the race – bringing the total number of contenders for the hot seat to six.
However, ANC North West media liaison officer Mothusi Shupinyane said he could not confirm whether six candidates were contesting for the top position, saying such an announcement would be made by the electoral body tasked with conducting elections at the conference.
“We will only know about the number of people contesting for certain positions if the electoral committee announces the names of candidates who have reached the threshold to stand for elections.
At the moment, it is just speculation,” Shupinyane said.
The conference is expected to be held at the Rustenburg Civic Centre from June 23 until June 27 but supporters of Mahumapelo – who are linked to the RET group – have expressed doubt that it would go ahead.
Yesterday, Mahumapelo’s supporters threatened to interdict the conference until the ANC national executive committee agrees to disqualify several members of the provincial dispute resolution committee, from standing for elections at the conference.
Former ANC Dr Kenneth Kaunda District regional secretary Lopang Rothman said at the heart of their complaint was the fact that some of the people who are tasked with dealing with nomination disputes, were
themselves interested parties in taking over the leadership of the North West ANC.
Rothman listed Maloyi as one of the members of the dispute resolution committee. MEC for Community Safety and Transport Sello Lehari – who features on Maloyi’s slate as contender for provincial treasury; Rosho; and MEC for Local Government Lena Miga are, according to insiders, on the slate of Mosenogi.
“You can’t be a referee and player at the same time. It is our view that these people are not going to deal with our grievances fairly. The ANC must dissolve the structure and new members (must be) elected to deal with our grievances,” Rothman said.
Pretoria News