By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Delegates at the Eastern Cape’s ninth ANC Provincial Conference in East London are still at loggerheads over credentials and this has delayed the conclusion of the three day meeting.
They are still discussing if the over 20 branches from WB Rubusana region should be allowed to vote. The branches took their matter to court yesterday on an urgent basis seeking the court to allow them to participate.
The court has since dismissed their case and struck it off the roll.
The conference is currently underway at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in East London and is expected to officially conclude on Monday following delays due to the verification process for credentials of delegates.
ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe, however, remains confident the conference will not collapse.
On Sunday, Mabe addressed a media briefing amid the shambolic proceedings of the conference.
“We are quite comfortable with where matters are. We are also confident that, by the time the conference rises, we will have been able to produce a leadership that will be able to discharge its mandate to make the Eastern Cape stronger.
“People are singing about their respective candidates, and it is like that. There is no indication to suggest to us that the conference is collapsing,” he said.
Mabe also dismissed claims that the ANC at national level was influencing the provincial conference.
He refused to answer questions about former Nelson Mandela Bay councillor Andile Lungisa’s involvement in the conference.
The conference has since been disrupted, which has further delayed the credentials process.
Delegates aligned to Babalo Madikizela, who is the former provincial treasurer, have raised allegations about ghost delegates and issues about those attending the conference.
Lungisa, who is vying for the treasurer position on Madikizela’s slate, told delegates they would object to adopting credentials.
The province has been marred by disputes over alleged manipulation of branch general meeting election results, allegedly by some party leaders who wanted to gain an advantage over their opponents at the provincial conference.