SEDIBENG.- Despite claims that the election of the ‘new’ executive committee of NHM during a conference held at the Saul Tsotetsi Sports Complex in Sebokeng recently is illegal, its ‘new’ leader Benjamin Motsukunyane says that it is going forward with its plans. The ‘new’ executive committee was declared illegal by its ‘former’ leader and current Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) MMC for Public Works, Bishop Vincent Jones. NHM, ANC, PAC, Patriotic Alliance, Solidarity Party, and Vaal Party are in a coalition at the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM), making it one of the major decision makers at the municipality.

Sedibeng Ster published the story last week where Jones said that his (real) party aims to lay fraud charges against ‘a group’ from the party who call themselves the real NHM members who recently elected their executive committee. Speaking to Sedibeng Ster, the ‘new’ leader, Motsukunyane said that Jones was invited to the conference but that he did not attend and sent the ‘spies’ instead. He added that Jones went to Court to try to stop the conference and he failed.

“The conference went ahead, and the people voted Vincent Jones out. He (Vincent Jones) was hellbent on trying to divide the New Horizon Movement (NHM), and he has failed. Today, legitimate members of NHM, and those members who lawfully and constitutionally represented NHM as both Ward and PR candidates in last year’s local government elections, Vincent Jones calls them “ FRAUDSTERS AND NEW GROUP”.”

Motsukunyane further added that after the local elections, NHM members took a resolution at a meeting held in November, which was also attended by Exco and Vincent Jones, that there must be an Elective Conference in January 2022, and the current Interim Executive Committee must facilitate and arrange for that conference.

“Instead, just a month or so later, Vincent Jones decided on his own and instructed Jake Sefatsa to send out emails to unconstitutionally dissolve the Exco without calling Exco members to a meeting. It later emerged that he was dissolving the Exco to prevent any preparations towards the Elective Conference.”

Motsukunyane said that since his deployment to ELM Council last November, Jones has never reported anything to the members or called any meeting of the Constituency.

“He is reporting to himself, he is getting a mandate from himself, and he is accountable to himself.” Motsukunyane ended by saying that NHM members, including those that contested elections as Ward and PR Councillor Candidates, came together and elected an Interim Elective Conference Committee to help organise a democratic and constitutional Elective Conference which finally took place on 20 August 2022.

“The conference, with more than 200 delegates went ahead smoothly, and the people democratically and constitutionally elected the leadership of their choice.”

Last week Sedibeng Ster reported that Jones said that the meeting should not have happened, as this was unconstitutional.