The ANC’s Alfred Nzo regional conference scheduled to sit this weekend has been postponed amid some unresolved disputes from a number of branches in the region.
The elective conference was supposed to sit between Thursday and Saturday, but had to be rescheduled to July 10-12 after some of the disputes, mostly relating to alleged parallelism in 10 of the region’s branches, were unresolved by Thursday, the party confirmed.
In the build-up, Ntabankulu mayor Tsileng Sobuthongo emerged as the leading contender for the chair position over former regional chair and current regional task team (RTT) convener Vukile Mhlelembana,
The ANC in Alfred Nzo has been under the leadership of an RTT since January, after the previous leadership’s term expired.
Sobuthongo, who serves as deputy RTT convener, is believed to have secured strong support, with claims that she had received nominations from at least 66 branches out of the 98 that held branch general meetings (BGMs) in a region that boasts about 106 branches in total.
Her closest challenger, Mhlelembana, reportedly received nominations from 32 branches.
Sobuthongo and Mhlelembana previously led the region together after being elected chair and deputy in 2021.
That leadership was dissolved in January when its term lapsed, making way for the RTT.
Tensions have intensified between the two camps, with Sobuthongo’s supporters accusing Mhlelembana of factionalism and blamed him for orchestrating the disbandment of nearly 40 branches after the ANC provincial conference in 2022.
“We want him out. He has divided this region,” a Ntabankulu branch treasurer, who did not want to be named, said.
“Service delivery collapsed under his leadership as Alfred Nzo district mayor. We remain the poorest district in the country.”
Another branch leader from the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela sub-region accused Mhlelembana of using his position to benefit personally and his cronies.
“There are people working in the district offices who shouldn’t be there. If a skills audit were to be done, many would lose their jobs. He’s focused on making sure his company gets tenders,” the leader said.
Sobuthongo is being praised for her role in unifying the region and leading the ANC’s local government election campaign, which saw the party win every ward in Alfred Nzo.
“She is a unifier who understands the community’s struggles. Service delivery in Ntabankulu has outperformed other local municipalities,” one supporter said.
“If she leads at district level, she’ll deliver for the people.” said one supporter.
Mhlelembana, however, dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.
“Some of those blaming me for the water crisis were actually MMCs for water themselves. They know the real issues but are now pushing an agenda,” he said.
“Our last MIG (Municipality Infrastructure Grant) was just R438m. To fully address water infrastructure in the district, we would need about R19bn.
“The challenge isn’t just access to clean water, it’s also maintaining aging infrastructure, and there’s no budget for that.”
He also rejected claims of corruption, saying he had stepped back from business dealings after becoming mayor.
Sources close to Sobuthongo believe the appeals are part of a broader strategy to delay the conference after she hosted a successful show-of-force (headcount) event over the weekend.
“They are just delaying tactics, they are delaying the inevitable because reruns won’t change the outcome, they will still lose, whether the conference happens this week or next month,” one insider said
Alfred Nzo regional spokesperson Lungisile Mzanywa confirmed the region had now resolved to postpone the conference.
“The postponement is informed by outstanding matters, including dispute resolutions from members of some branches within the region.”
Sobuthongo is understood to be aligned to those who want Oscar Mabuyane retained as the provincial chair, while Mhlelembana is aligned to the faction sympathetic to provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi’s ambitions to topple Mabuyane as the next provincial ANC chair in 2026.
Daily Dispatch
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