By Tshego Lepule 
32m ago
Cape Town – Old squabbles over the legitimacy of the ANC’s Dullah Omar region leadership have resurfaced to haunt the party as it prepares to host branch meetings for candidates nominations ahead of local government elections.
Claims made by regional executive committee member and Cape Town City councillor Khaya Yozi rocked the boat while addressing an ANC Youth League event held at the weekend where he alleged that the region’s 2018 regional conference, where he was also elected, was stolen.
The ANC’s Xolani Sotashe was elected as chairperson, Joseph Thee deputy and Vuyiso JJ Tyhalisisu secretary.
The legitimacy of the conference was challenged by party members at the Western Cape High which dismissed the urgent application on the basis that it was not urgent given how it had already taken place.
At the event, Yozi told party members that the conference had been stolen using bogus delegates from branches that did not exist. He also claims there were councillors being made to pay R2 500 from their salaries in patronage.
“As a member of the REC, I have been raising a number of concerns and meetings would sit, but the agenda would never accommodate the discussions of these matters, and therefore, I felt that was a correct platform to once again air out their issues since it was within the organisation.
“Comrades within the organisation are running away from this matter and letting divisions fuel the discourse within the ANC. If we as party leaders don’t speak out against the wrongdoings we see their continuation into the processes of the upcoming elections are bound to happen if we have the same individuals at the helm,” he said
The South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) in the Western Cape said in a statement Yozi’s revelation has resulted in high levels of distrust in the leadership of the region.
“This further shows that the call to reconfigure the alliance is correct and can’t be ignored anymore or else the manipulation of the ANC processes will continue unabated as it is clear that the majority of the current ANC councillors in the City of Cape Town became councillors through manipulated processes,” read the statement.
“We will be writing formally to the upper structures of the ANC with a view to request an urgent investigation on these allegations. We would like to call upon all alliance partners in the Western Cape to urgently convene and deliberate on this serious matter, as the integrity and the credibility of the selection process of ANC public representatives in the upcoming local government elections will be questioned if these serious allegations are indeed true and the matter is not attended to expeditiously.”
This week, the region’s leadership held a special meeting to discuss the Yozi’s allegations and resolved to have anyone spreading “falsehoods” referred for disciplinary action.
“(They) will be charged with contravening the ANC constitution and referred to the disciplinary committee. They will also be suspended pending the outcomes of the disciplinary committee,” said Tyhalisisu.
“The ANC REC will write to the Western Cape Interim Provincial Committee to follow up on previous disciplinary matters that are yet to be actioned by the IPC. Disciplinary processes within council will also proceed concurrently with the ANC disciplinary processes.”
Tyhalisisu labelled Yozi’s allegations as ‘wild’ and without proof.
“He must indicate if there were bogus delegates, who they were and bring proof,” he added.
The party’s interim provincial leader, Lerumo Kalako, said while he was aware of allegations, no formal complaint was laid with the provincial structure to warrant an investigation.
“We cannot investigate things that were said on social media while there is no formal written complaint,” he said.
“When we came into the province, we were not informed that there was this issue that we needed to be aware of and take action on. So there is nothing stopping any ANC member from laying a formal complaint.”
Meanwhile, Kalako said processes were underway to ensure audited branches were sending programmes to the provincial leadership for the holding of branch general meetings for the election of new leadership to prepare for elections in October.
Weekend Argus
Credit IOL