The South African National Congress’ (ANC) Tshwane Regional Executive Committee (REC) says it is ready for the regional conference, despite alliance partners and some disgruntled ANC members being frustrated. The conference is scheduled to be held at the Saint George Hotel from Friday to Sunday, with the aim of electing a new leadership of the region.
The REC revealed this at a media briefing held at the ANC’s regional office in Arcadia on Thursday, a few hours before various organisations in the region started protesting against alleged corruption in the ANC-led Tshwane metro. Some refuse to recognise the conference, owing to several incidents of violence where some ANC members were beaten with sjamboks and were allegedly illegally suspended from the processes of the ANC.
The violence erupted between those in support of the current leadership and disgruntled members of the ANC.
While the ANC in the region is doing its final preparations to hold the conference, organisations like the South African Communist Party (SACP), Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu), ANC Youth League (ANCYL) and Tshwane Barekisi Forum have said they will embark on what is expected to be a massive march against alleged corruption in the Tshwane metro today. They intend to hand over a memorandum to the Presidency.
These organisations made it clear in a media briefing on the march earlier this week that they want the Tshwane council to be suspended and the metro put under administration. They accused the metro of maladministration, and listed the main issues as a reluctance of political leadership to fight corruption, suppression of findings about investigations against corruption in the metro, failure to account to the public, human resources policies not being adhered to, extended public works programmes being politicised to favour personal interest, the misuse of ratepayers’ money and cases of harassment and killing by metro police. They also insist that qualifications of metro employees be verified.
However, the regional ANC does not see any threat in the protest, considering it part of a continuous trend of unrest on the eve of ANC conferences. Addressing the media, ANC regional chairperson Kgosientso Ramokopa said that every time a conference is to be held, there is a march about corruption. “On the eve of going to the 2012 national conference in Mangaung, there was a march about corruption. On the eve of provincial elections this year there was a march about corruption and now we are advised that on the eve of our conference there will be a march,” Ramokgopa commented.
Regional leadership has requested that anyone with evidence of corruption report it to law-enforcement agencies like the Whacks, the Special Investigation Unit or the Public Protector so that investigation can take place and those found guilty be prosecuted. Ramokgopa said complaints could also be laid via the proper channels of the ANC, so that the ethics committee of the party can decide on the necessary action.
The leadership said there were personalities that had persistently tried to render the organisation in the region ungovernable and that these people had not been able to provide any concrete evidence on their allegations. The ANC said there was a need for proper discipline to avoid such behaviour.
With regard to the conference, the ANC has invited its alliance parties, including the SACP, Cosatu and the ANCYL. However, the latter said they would not attend the conference since they were unhappy with the violence associated with it. It is not yet clear whether the SACP and Cosatu will attend the conference, since they will be part of the march.
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