Cracks start showing in ANC ‘stronghold’ ahead of elections

Cracks start showing in ANC ‘stronghold’ ahead of elections

The ANC in Limpopo has been embroiled in a public spat after one of its members deployed to the National Assembly has taken the party to court following the omission of his name on its candidate list.

The controversial MP, Boy Mamabolo, has taken his party head on, accusing the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) of removing his name from the party’s provincial to national election list.

Mamabolo has approached the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, on an urgent basis to compel the governing party to disclose the process it took on finalising the candidate list.

However, the party in the province has vowed to defend its list in court, saying the process was above board.

Limpopo is considered to be the party’s stronghold after cracks started showing in the organisation’s KwaZulu-Natal province following the defeat of Zweli Mkhize to president Cyril Ramaphosa at the party’s last elective conference.

In his founding affidavit, seen by The Star, Mamabolo — who is represented by Ezra Matlala attorneys — is asking the court to disband the PEC and replace it with a Special Provincial Task Team which will oversee the elections.

The court papers state in part that Mamabolo was nominated by various branches in accordance with the party’s constitution and rules of the party for elections.

He insists that he received enough nominations for his name to be entered on to the province to national list for Limpopo after he was interviewed, vetted and screened in preparation for the province to national list.

He further accuses the PEC of allowing members of the party who are in power to interfere with nominations from branches.

The application states in part: “This application seeks urgent relief to interdict the respondent from finalising nominations and appointments in the Limpopo province final list of candidates for the 2024 national and provincial elections … Additionally, to direct the Respondent to produce the following information and documents, pending the relief being sought.”

ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu -Motsiri did not respond to questions sent to her.

Speaking to The Star yesterday, ANC spokesperson in the province, Jimmy Machaka, dismissed the allegations.

“The ANC in Limpopo dismisses the allegations with the contempt it deserves … the organisation did not rig any processes and did not receive a single objection from its members until we reached its finality of which the process was above board.

Machaka said Mamabolo should invest his time, energy and resources to election work of the ANC and stop dragging the ANC into the mud.

The party would defend the allegations, he said.

Mamabolo wants the ANC to confirm that an independent agency was appointed in terms of the rules and is asking for copies of the reports as compiled by the independent agency.

He further demands the full nominations list from the various branches and the book of forms of the branches as uploaded on to the cloud and an explanation or reasons for his removal and exclusion from the final list.

Mabolo wrote in his affidavit: “I expressed concerns about potential manipulation of the list and provided a WhatsApp correspondence directed to myself in which the suggestion was made that I needed to align myself with certain individuals within the organisation to ensure that my name remained on the province to national list.

“I found the suggestion to be absurd and contrary to the ethos of the ANC constitution and my good conscience as a member of the organisation.

“I naturally did not engage with the suggestion or to align myself in what I considered to be an attempt to bribe my allegiance in a most improper and underhand manner,” he said

The Star has seen the WhatsApp messages he is referring to.

The Star

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