Delays in ANC Western Cape conference

The Western Cape ANC’s three-day conference, the first in eight years, which was scheduled to start on Friday had not started at 9pm, with only journalists occupying the seats at the conference hall.

Party spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni said the delays were due to the late start of registration. Some regions had to travel long distances to Cape Town, he said.

The interim provincial committee (IPC) was also seized with conference credentials which would later be presented to the delegates.

Mtsweni said there had to be replacement of delegates who were scheduled to attend but, due to unforeseen reasons, could no longer attend.

Mtsweni said by 5.30pm, about 80% of the registration had been completed.

“We are having an IPC meeting now where we are finalising all the documents that are going to be presented here — the political report, organisational and financial reports,” he said.

“We are now dealing with the credentials of the conference. For us to finish those credentials we need that other 20% to be done.

“What we are doing is a very thorough process because we don’t want a conference that’s going to sit here for three days discussing one issue, which is credentials.

“We want to make sure everything is thorough. We don’t want to be litigated, you know that many provincial conferences have gone to court purely on process matters,” said Mtsweni.

He was however confident the conference would still commence on Friday.

“We are trying to make sure that all the processes are fine, everything is done.”

Mtsweni said ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula will open the conference and President Cyril Ramaphosa will close it on Sunday.

Still expected to take place on Friday was the presentation of the political report by provincial convener Lerumo Kalako, organisational report by co-ordinator Thandi Manikivana and a financial report.

After that the election agency will present all the nominations for the top five positions.

“They will vote for the top even if it’s at midnight or 1am. We are going to vote today,” said Mtsweni.

He said results would then be announced on Saturday morning, a process that will be followed by nominations and voting for additional members.

The ANC is holding the conference at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, a venue secured with the assistance of its national leadership at Luthuli House.

Mtsweni said the treasurer-general’s office has been working with the province to secure the venue and accommodation in central Cape Town.

“We also did not want a situation where we get funders that are not necessarily known at the national level. I can tell you now we don’t have private donors that we are not aware of. Most of the money that has funded this conference is from the coffers of the ANC,” he said.

The conference will have a commission that will discuss the influence of money and how it has eroded the party.

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