The ANC’s North West elective conference, which was scheduled to end on Sunday, will reconvene at the end of August after many delays, including litigation and a breach of security leading to the cloning of delegates’ tags leaving proceedings in disarray.
Voting for the top five positions of the provincial leadership continued late into Sunday evening.
Former ANC MP Nono Maloyi was voted in as the new chair, winning against North West premier Bushy Maape.
Community safety and transport MEC Sello Lehari was elected provincial treasurer while economic development MEC Kenetswe Mosenogi was defeated by Louis Diremelo for the position of provincial secretary.
Lazzy Mokgosi was elected deputy chair, defeating Paul Sebegoe while Viola Motsumi was elected deputy secretary.
This is the first elected ANC leadership in the North West since the ousting of former premier and chair Supra Mahumapelo.
The outstanding business of the conference includes the election of additional members of the provincial executive committee (PEC) and discussion of the ANC’s policy recommendations stemming from the policy conference, which was held in July.
“Similar to what had happened in Gauteng when the conference adjourned for two weeks we will also have to adjourn for two weeks. It [the conference] has to happen by the 25, 26 and 27 of August because the NEC [national executive committee] in July took a decision that the North West, Free State and Western Cape [conferences] must be concluded by August,” said NEC convener to the province Obed Bapela.
The decision to adjourn the conference, where President Cyril Ramaphosa was expected to give the closing address, was due to the alleged cloning of delegate tags, litigation by those said to be allies of Mahumapelo, and factionalism.
Mahumapelo, who pulled out of the race to become chair on Saturday, denied that he was behind the litigation, which called for the conference to be halted because it was convened by the province’s interim regional committee (IPC), which was disbanded by an earlier court decision.
“The preparations leading up to the calling and convening of the ANC’s North West provincial conference scheduled from August 12-14 and the notice calling for such conference was issued and done by the illegitimate IPC, whose term ended as far back as May 2020,” the applicants argued.
“It is now common cause that the term of the members of the IPC has been declared to have lapsed. Therefore their status and participation at the provincial conference is not that of voting delegates or non-voting delegates.”
The high court in Mahikeng on Friday ruled that the 20-member IPC, which was formed in 2018 after the ousting of Mahumapelo, did not have voting powers at the conference. This, however, did not prevent the conference proceedings from going ahead.
On Sunday, the ANC’s head of organising, Nomvula Mokonyane, said the party has opened a criminal case against a group that had stormed the accreditation venue and had stolen delegates’ tags. The tags were later allegedly cloned by those seeking to illegally participate in the conference.
The identities of those who allegedly cloned the tags are unknown to the ANC, Mokonyane said, adding that there is camera footage of the incident.
Update: August 15 2022
This story has been updated with additional information.
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