POLITICAL NEWS - A battle is brewing between the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) and its newly-elected KwaZulu-Natal ANCWL top brass.
At the centre of the dispute is the ANCWL national leadership’s position that voting processes during the ANCL provincial conference a week ago have not been concluded, given that about 27 delegates were yet to cast their votes.
The 27 outstanding votes could alter the outcome of the conference as some of the newly-elected ANCWL provincial top five leaders, including the chairperson, Nonhlanhla Khoza — who is also the Social Development MEC, defeated her rival, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi, with less than ten votes.
According to ANCWL national executive committee (NEC) member, Pemmy Majodina, who oversaw the conference, the results announced last week were not final.
Yes, the top five has been elected, but they are elected pending the finalisation of the elections.
However, despite the uncertainty created by the inclusion of the 27 delegates into the voter’s roll, the newly-elected ANCWL provincial top five leadership structure is forging ahead with its programme.
Over the weekend, the ANCWL leadership held its first meeting.
An ANCWL member of the provincial top five leadership structure, who did not want to speak on the record, warned of “consequences” should the ANCWL national leadership continue with voting processes for the 27 delegates.
There were more than 1 200 delegates who voted during the conference. Also, the conference was duly closed. In the ANC you don’t reopen conferences, particularly to accommodate 27 people — irrespective of the circumstances which rendered them unable to vote during the course of the conference.
“In any ANC conference, errors do happen. There have also been errors in the recent ANCWL national conference where some of the voting delegates were not able to cast their vote.
“Reopening a conference just because of 27 people who for one reason or the other could not vote is unprecedented in the ANC and the ANCWL,” the ANCWL provincial top five leader, said.
Newly-elected ANCWL provincial secretary, Zama Sokhabase, said as far as the new provincial leadership was concerned, the conference has been closed.
As I speak, we are having our first meeting. We are not talking about the reopening of any conference. However, if there is that kind of talk, it’s likely that it’s happening at the level of the ANCWL national leadership and certainly not here within the provincial leadership.
Provincial ANCWL members who contested for leadership positions but were unsuccessful, include Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi. Sithole-Moloi, who contested the ANCWL provincial chairperson position was defeated by Khoza — who won by three votes.
