Dramatic scenes played out at the East London ICC as ANC provincial chairperson, Oscar Mabuyane’s address to the now postponed elective conference was disrupted by delegates celebrating the news that provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi had apparently resigned.
A letter doing the rounds purported that he had resigned on Friday but Ngcukayitobi has since confirmed that the letter was “fake”.
Mabuyane was forced to sit down and wait as NEC convenor of deployees Mmamaloko Kubayi calmed the packed conference venue, dominated by his supporters, saying the letter had not been authenticated. His supporters were ululating and cheering.
Kubayi later told the delegates she had called Ngcukayitobi, who had confirmed that the letter was fake.
The two are running for the position of provincial chairperson but the elective conference has since been postponed and turned into a cadres forum after disgruntled members, believed to be Ngcukayitobi’s supporters, obtained an interim court order.
The letter stated the ANC provincial executive committee in the Eastern Cape was “utterly disgusting” and “lack organisational discipline”.
“The 9th PEC of the ANC in this province is utterly disgusting and I refuse to be part of such an arrangement. I therefore have taken the decision to tender my long overdue resignation from serving as provincial secretary,” reads the letter.
Nguckayitobi has since posted a copy of the letter on WhatsApp, flagging it as fake.
Before he was interrupted, Mabuyane had apologised to party delegates over the postponement of the highly anticipated provincial elective conference that was scheduled to sit from Thursday until Sunday.
Mabuyane addressed over 1,000 party members from various regions who gathered at the East London ICC on Saturday afternoon despite being instructed to go home amid a legal wrangle over branch disputes.
Mabuyane told delegates they would use the gathering as a cadres forum instead in anticipation of the upcoming local government elections.
“We are gathered here at a adjourned conference.
“We were at a position that we were almost done with our registration but we were restrained by a court order.
“After the PEC meeting I got worried, I realised that we are not different from the members who are being reported about for wrong things,” he said.
Mabuyane added:“The leadership of the ANC is accountable to you. To the chaplaincy, please pray for us, because we are in a difficult time where devils act as angels.”
Referencing the late party stalwart Oliver Tambo, Mabuyane urged members to put an end to “petty squabbles”.
He described the disgruntled members who took the party to court as enemies of progress.
Despite this, Mabuyane said, the ANC in the province was stable.
Mabuyane’s comments come after an application for an interim interdict brought by disgruntled members seeking to prohibit the continuation of the conference was granted by the high court in KuGompo City on Thursday.
A contempt of court case implicating several ANC leaders including secretary-general Fikile Mbalula for allegedly undermining the interim interdict was subsequently launched.
The high court in KuGompo City on Saturday morning postponed the application for a contempt of court order against 12 ANC members without a set date.
High court judge MJ Lowe removed the application from the roll of urgent matters.
This left the more than 1,000 party supporters gathered at the venue hoping to elect the province’s new leadership structure in limbo.
In a letter to delegates on Saturday, Ngcukayitobi informed the party structures that the conference had been postponed until further notice.
“Accordingly, all delegates, ANC leagues and alliance, invited guests and representatives of ANC structures are advised of this postponement with the best wishes for everyone [for] a safe journey as you return to your respective homes,” said Ngcukayitobi.
In his address, Mabuyane said the motives of the party’s detractors would not succeed.
“The ANC will triumph,” he said.
Some PEC officials, such as Ngcukayitobi and Zolile Williams, were absent, something Mabuyane criticised, saying the PEC had instructed all its members to be present when he delivered the news to delegates that the conference had been postponed.
Daily Dispatch
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