Fearing an outbreak of violence that characterised branch general meetings in the lead up to the ANC’s Mpumalanga conference, the party’s treasurer-general and acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile has pleaded with delegates to ensure that the proceedings do not descend into chaos.
Mashatile, who is tipped to contest the position of deputy president when the ANC convenes its national conference in December, addressed delegates on the first day of the provincial conference where factional battles have led to Mpumalanga only now holding its first elective conference since deputy president David Mabuza’s departure in 2017.
“It is not an exaggeration to say that our movement is facing an existential crisis,” Mashatile told delegates, adding that the party should close ranks in pursuit of unity but that pursuit should not come at all costs.
“Let those who want to disrupt our conference not succeed, let those who prefer violence not be in our midst. Let’s isolate them so they face harsh consequences for their actions,” Mashatile said.
These calls were repeated by Mandla Ndlovu, who is the current convener of a political task team and tipped to be elected to the highly influential position of chair, when he urged delegates to ensure that the conference does not turn into a “festival of chairs”, referring to previous conferences where rival fractions attacked each other with chairs.
The calls made by both Mashatile and Ndlovu seem to have fallen on deaf ears as delegates belonging to rival fractions chanted the names of their preferred candidates before and during proceedings at the conference.
Ndlovu is part of the “focus” faction. He is expected to go head-to-head for the chairperson position against former provincial secretary Lucky Ndinisa, who is part of the “Nqgi” faction.
Ndlovu’s faction includes current provincial task team convener Lindiwe Ntshalintshali as deputy chair and murder accused Mandla Msibi as treasurer-general. Should the faction emerge victorious, it is expected to back President Cyril Ramaphosa for a second term as party president.
The Mpumalanga conference, which is one of eight ahead of the national one in December, is likely to set the tone of the other provincial conferences.
In his political report Ndlovu downplayed the role factionalism played in the province failing to convene a conference since 2017. Instead, he blamed the outbreak of Covid-19 and the local government elections in 2021 for the province not electing new leaders.
“There was no slip up in the provincial executive council. We did not intend to lead forever. We did not want to cling to power beyond our term of office,” he said.
The three-day proceedings began on Friday with a pending application by disgruntled members to interdict the conference, leading the party to beef up security around and inside the conference venue. The case was, however, dismissed by the high court in Johannesburg for lack of urgency.
“There won’t be a festival of chairs ... the ANC is a legal entity. It can sue and be sued if it doesn’t ensure discipline and safety of guests, said national executive committee member Dakota Legoete.
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