The drama that unfolded in the recent Eastern Cape ANC elective conference in which party members tried in vain to interdict two regions from casting their votes, is likely to again play itself out, this time at the forthcoming Limpopo ANC conference scheduled for next weekend in Polokwane.
Lawyers of eight disgruntled members from Peter Mokaba region have written to the governing party’s acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile, demanding that the outcome of the Peter Mokaba regional conference in December be nullified and the region be precluded from participating in the conference to be held at the Ranch hotel from Friday.
In the letter, Ngwebu Attorneys say the outcome of the conference should be nullified following alleged irregularities and outstanding disputes that were lodged with regional, provincial and national dispute resolution committees. They have threatened to go to court if the party does not comply with their demands.
If Luthuli House accepts their demands, it will be a devastating blow for provincial chairperson Stan Mathabatha, who is seeking a third term in office. Nearly all delegates from the region back his re-election.
Mathabatha will compete for the position with public works MEC Dickson Masemola.
In the letter, which Sunday World has seen, the members, who are aligned to Masemola’s faction, said several branches had lodged complaints about the alleged irregularities with the national dispute resolution committee (NDRC).
The committee issued guidelines on how the matters should be resolved in a letter addressed to the provincial dispute resolution committee (PDRC) and regional dispute resolution committee (RDRC) dated March 22.
“It is our further instructions that the NDRC advised our clients that it should consider all appeals from the Peter Mokaba region and ruled that members who wished to appeal RDRC verdicts should do so with the PDRC within five days,” reads the lawyers’ letter.
The lawyers said the NDRC advised the PDRC to consider all appeals and issue verdicts within 14 days of receiving the appeals.
“Our clients and other appellants did file their appeals with the PDRC as directed and despite that, the PDRC has failed and/or refused to deal with the appeals,” reads the letter.
According to the lawyers, the NDRC acknowledged it had received numerous appeals on the eve of the 2021 regional conference and instructed the PDRC to resolve them but nothing was done.
“Accordingly, our clients have exhausted all internal remedies at their disposal as outlined in the guidelines on branch, regional and provincial conference adopted by the NEC [national executive committee] in December 2019, and hereby lodge their appeals as lodged to the PDRC for consideration by the NDRC,” they wrote.
They argued the disputes had a bearing on the outcome of the regional conference and could taint the conference.
“All the appeals now referred to the NDRC for consideration have an impact on the integrity and validity of the 2021 regional conference and the validity of the current REC.
The NDRC is required to deal with this aspect in its consideration of these appeals and make a ruling nullifying the 2021 regional conference.
“In respect of preparations of the upcoming provincial conference, it is our instructions that the continued role played by the current REC [regional executive committee] to oversee branches, taints the process outlined by the adopted guidelines in respect of branch, regional and provincial Conferences,” reads the letter.
They said the NDRC should move swiftly to resolve the disputes before preparing for the conference.
Failure to do so would result in court action.
When approached for comment, Peter Mokaba regional chair John Mpe said: “Why do you want to go to court on urgent basis about the conference that was held about six months ago? If the region is cited in the court papers as a respondent, we will defend the matter.”
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