ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has suspended the much-contested elective conference of the Eastern Cape amid court challenges.
Following an urgent meeting of the provincial executive committee (PEC) on Friday, ANC national executive committee deployee, Mmamoloko Kubayi, told a post-PEC press conference that Mbalula had informed them that the conference had been put “in abeyance”.
The latest development comes as the court action is intensifying, with the ANC being granted leave to appeal an interdict granted to disgruntled members of the party by the High Court in KuGompo City on Thursday.
The matter will now sit on Friday afternoon. Kubayi said the move by Mbalula will give the party in the province time to focus on the court challenge.
Kubayi said a communication had been received that Mbalula “has decided to put the conference in abeyance until matter[s] before the courts are concluded and all issues that need to be concluded are concluded”.
She said when the province reached the 70% threshold, allowing them to convene the conference, one of the conditions for it to continue with an elective conference was for the party to deal with all disputes raised by branches.
The current court challenges faced by the province are as a result of disputes raised by branches Dr WB Rubusana, Alfred Nzo and Joe Gqabi regions.
She said the party was currently finalising all matters in dispute.
Speaking about the court challenge, Kubayi said the party believed that they have a sound legal strategy and a strong case to fight.
She said the party believed that they were unfairly done by with the ruling. The much-anticipated conference was meant to see current chairperson, Oscar Mabuyane, go against his former ally, Lulama Ngcukayitobi.
She dismissed rumours doing the rounds on social media that the ANC leadership at national and provincial level were served with contempt of court papers for proceeding with the conference on Thursday.
Daily Dispatch
