#ANC55: Even legitimate delegates excluded by complex membership system

The new, complex ANC membership system has good intentions, but its complexity is threatening to collapse the party’s national conference because it bars even some legitimate members from renewing their memberships.

That’s besides the hiccups associated with load shedding and systemic technical problems, which contributed to the delayed start of the conference on Friday.

Since its introduction, the new system that required QR code verification, among others, had been a bone of contention – with some delegates complaining about being excluded, despite being members in good standing, during a recent provincial conference that preceded Nasrec.

Members were supposed to pay a membership fee of R20 at the bank and bring a bank receipt before his or her details were entered into the membership system and a QR code produced. In most cases the system rejected members in the process.

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According to a source, a senior ANC member close to the matter, even some senior ANC leaders, including some candidates, could not renew their cards because the system kept on rejecting them. “I tried four times but the system could not accept me all the way. This issue is likely to be the source of conflict. It has to be addressed early, otherwise it will collapse the conference,” the source said.

Some members said the conference could not go ahead without the membership issue resolved. “Much as the system was great, accurate and foolproof, it was regarded as too complex. It disallowed even legitimate members from registering in many cases.

“You cannot bend the rules, because you will be opening a can of worms, because if you bend the rules for some you have to bend them for others. It’s one thing to have all the delegates accredited, it’s another for candidates to have their memberships renewed.”

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