A Johannesburg High Court ruling has paved the way for the 8th ANC Ekurhuleni conference to go ahead, with frontrunner Doctor Xhakaza expected to be elected as the chairperson of the region.
The court on Saturday ruled against interdicting the regional conference, which is underway this weekend in Kempton Park. The aggrieved branch members from the region argued in court that nomination processes were led by an interim structure whose office term had expired.
Xhakaza is the incumbent and holds the mayoral chain of the Ekurhuleni metro. He will be contesting the former regional treasurer Sello Sekhokho, who still fancies his chances of causing an upset.
The ongoing turmoil between the two factions in the region reached the court this week.
The case was believed to be a means by the anti-Xhakaza group to scupper his chances of emerging victorious.
The court ruled that the application is a “textbook example” of self-created urgency.
“There appears to be no conceivable reason why the applicants waited until the last hour to bring this application. All the signs that the conference would go ahead as scheduled on 8 August 2025 were unfolding before their very eyes.
“I am of the view that it accords with fairness that a party that makes an election should bear the consequences of that election.
“The applicants have not satisfied the requirements of an urgent application,” the judgment handed down by Judge Sandiswa Mfenyana said.
The branch members initially wrote to Gauteng coordinator Hope Papo, raising discontent about the matter before taking the legal route.
Task team coordinator Jongizizwe Dlabathi has welcomed the court’s decision.
“We strongly believe that the judgment is correct for we believe that the conference and the leadership that is presiding over the process have done almost everything to comply with the constitution as well as the guidelines.
“We’ve also argued that the regional task team remains a legitimate structure that must deliver a properly constituted regional conference.
“On behalf of the ANC in Ekurhuleni, we welcome the decision by the high court.
Johannesburg, Tshwane and Sedibeng are still to hold their conferences, but under slightly different rules.
The ANC national executive committee meeting last weekend resolved that regional structures will now have to get approval from secretary-general Fikile Mbalula before convening conferences.
According to a letter dated August 7, and penned by Mbalula to all regional and provincial secretaries, this is a mechanism is to ensure that all disputes are resolved and congresses go ahead with minimal hiccups.
“And to avoid unnecessary postponements and incurring fruitless expenditures due to cancellation, provinces/regions must schedule conference only after receiving the letter of approval from the secretary-general,” it reads
It was expected that this would also avoid exerting undue pressure on the dispute resolution bodies in the event there were too many complaints within a short period.
The Johannesburg region will be convening about 40 branch general meetings to nominate leadership candidates over the weekend, according to secretary Sasabona Manganye.