EC ANC starts disciplinary action against members for ‘undermining internal processes’

The ANC in the Eastern Cape has begun disciplinary action against several members who took the party to court in a bid to halt its provincial conference scheduled for March, issuing them with notices of intention to suspend. The decision was taken by the party’s newly formed Eastern Cape provincial task team (PTT) in a meeting on June 1. The party had vowed to take disciplinary action against party deployees accused of defying organisational decisions, warning that indiscipline within its ranks threatens party unity and public confidence before the November 4 local government elections.

ANC provincial spokesperson Yanga Zicina on Saturday confirmed that members who had taken the party to court had been issued with suspension letters. The implicated members are Dr WB Rubusana regional members Lwazi Rotya, Sinethemba Mpande and Nompumelelo Mzotywa, who successfully interdicted the ANC’s 10th Eastern Cape elective conference in late March. They subsequently filed another court application to declare the party’s newly appointed 40-member PTT unlawful.

Zicina said the implicated members undermined the party’s internal processes. “Once you undermine our internal processes and rush to court, that means you disregard our processes,” said Zicina. Rotya confirmed receiving the letter and said they have been required to submit reasons why they should not be suspended.

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Rotya and his co-applicants obtained an urgent court order in the high court in KuGompo City halting the provincial elective conference while party delegates were doing their verification for the conference, which was due to be held at the East London ICC. In the application, they cited branch registration irregularities and issues with verification processes overseen by party secretary-general Fikile Mbalula. The legal stand-off extended into a dispute over the release of raw branch membership data, which the applicants demanded to verify branch outcomes.

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