More than 200 disgruntled ANC members of the Eastern Cape’s Alfred Nzo, Amathole and Buffalo City regions gathered outside the Grahamstown High Court on Thursday morning to protest against the process of choosing the party’s candidates for the May 18 local government elections.
More than 200 disgruntled ANC members of the Eastern Cape’s Alfred Nzo, Amathole and Buffalo City regions gathered outside the Grahamstown High Court on Thursday morning to protest against the process of choosing the party’s candidates for the May 18 local government elections.
Members came in minibuses and private cars. They waved placards that read, "Mantashe, ANC is not your farm", "Autocracy doesn't belong to the ANC," and "Justice must be done". ANC member in the Amathole region, Ayanda Stofile, said they were there to get help from the court.
"The province came with its own candidate list, without consulting the branches, and we want the court to stop that," explained Stofile. He said ANC general secretary Gwede Mantashe was ruining the ANC. "He came up with the guidelines, and is not following those guidelines," he said.
The disgruntled regional structures lodged an urgent court application to interdict the regional structures from going ahead with list conferences. The ANC in the province has been plagued by infighting over widespread unhappiness about the candidates advanced as possible councillors for the upcoming local government elections.
Justice Jeremy Pickering had not made his decision at the time of going to print. Earlier this month the ANC sent a high-powered leadership delegation to the Eastern Cape to thrash out problems ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
The ANC has faced discontent over its candidate selection in various parts of the country. Parties have until tomorrow to register their candidates.
