The ANC’s elective conference in Tshwane got off to a slow start on Friday, with delegate registration delayed amid reports of a renewed court challenge.
This follows an urgent application brought on Thursday by a disgruntled faction in the Pretoria High Court seeking to interdict the conference. The court dismissed the application.
Outgoing regional secretary George Matjila downplayed the legal challenge, noting that it had no impact on the conference’s progress.
“We had two applicants, mainly from Ward 33 and Ward 20—Mawiga and Soshanguve respectively. The matter stemmed from rulings issued by the PDRCA, which directed that the branches be rerun and clearly outlined the necessary steps. The applicants argued against this, but unfortunately for them, the case was dismissed,” Matjila said.
He insisted that preparations for the conference were complete, although by 19:00 the hall remained empty as delegates were still awaiting accreditation.
“I think we are ready, as you can see. We’ve secured the venue, which means all logistical and administrative matters have been attended to. The province conducted preregistration two weeks ago to ensure all delegates were properly captured. Final registration will be completed shortly. A number of disputes needed to be resolved before the conference could begin, and up to this point, those disputes have been addressed,” he said.
Despite Thursday’s setback, the dissatisfied faction is reportedly returning to court to appeal the ruling.