The African National Congress (ANC) top five in the North West is expected to meet on Wednesday, where it is anticipated that a report will be presented on the state of readiness for the upcoming provincial conference, which has been deferred to a later date.
The Provincial General Council had resolved that an early provincial conference be held at the end of May.
ANC provincial spokesperson, Tumelo Maruping, told YOU FM Newshour that plans are under way to ensure that party processes are followed.
“We are still following the roadmap in terms of allowing the Branch General Meetings (BGMs) to sit, conclude, and nominate. Thereafter, we will announce the next stage, where we will be preparing for verifications, which we expect to complete around the end of April, and we should then be ready for the provincial conference,” said Maruping.
Maruping highlighted that engagement with the National Executive Committee (NEC) is ongoing to secure approval to postpone the conference to the third week of May, instead of the end of March as initially planned.
“We are still trying to lobby the NEC to grant us permission to hold the provincial conference after the regional conferences, which were also delayed by systemic issues. These were initially scheduled for December but were postponed to the end of March.
We are now focusing on ensuring that the regions complete their conferences, as we have just emerged from the Dr Kenneth Kaunda regional conference over the weekend. Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati has already announced the dates of its sitting, from 27 to 29 March, and we are expecting Ngaka Modiri Molema to furnish us with their report on Wednesday regarding when they are likely to convene,” explained Maruping.
Meanwhile, the party has welcomed the newly elected regional executive committee of the Dr Kenneth Kaunda region, led by Gaba Thithiba ka Qhele as chairperson and Zanele Mphafudi as deputy chairperson.
Pat Mthoa was elected regional secretary, with Wanda Moiloa as deputy secretary, while Disebo Motaung, the only woman in the executive, was elected regional treasurer.
The region has been led by regional task teams for approximately 15 years without duly elected structures.
“It has been quite a journey, but we are nonetheless pleased that the region has finally elected its leadership at a conference overseen by the PEC and national deployees of the party, which went very well.
Of course, there were challenges leading up to the conference. You will recall there was a court case heard on Thursday ahead of the conference. Fortunately, the matter was ventilated and resolved by the court, something we do not encourage within the party,” remarked Maruping.
The ANC has called on all members, including those who challenge party decisions in court, to set aside their political differences and work together to rebuild the organisation, with the aim of securing an overwhelming victory in the upcoming local government elections in the district.
