EThekwini ANC leadership in race to prepare branches for upcoming conferences

The eThekwini ANC regional task team leadership is racing against time to get all 111 branches ready by the end of the month to start holding elective conferences in preparation for the regional conference in November.

In a new twist last month, the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal directed all its 11 regions to hold elective conferences by the end of the year. The announcement came as a surprise to many as it appeared that the appointment of regional task teams in July had nullified the possibility of regional elective conferences with the party instead instructing them to win back all the municipalities that had been lost in 2021.

Speaking on Thursday, eThekwini regional task team spokesperson Thinta Cibane, said the leadership is currently seized with the branch verification process to meet the higher leadership’s directive that the process must be completed by the end of the month. Cibane said the leadership remains hopeful of meeting the deadline 

“We are busy with the process of getting the branches ready for their elective conferences next month which means that we must meet the end of this month deadline, as directed by the national and provincial leadership,” said Cibane.

He said that the elective conference will take place in the first week of November. Cibane confirmed that all 111 branch's terms of office had already lapsed when his task team took office - with only 40 branches in good standing. The end of the month deadline branch verification process means that all 111 branches will have to hold their conferences in October so that they can participate in the regional conference in early November.

While preparing for conferences, regions are also expected to prepare for provincial general council which must take place before the national conference, scheduled for 8 to 12 December at Nasrec, Johannesburg. This means the regions will need to hold their conferences by November.

Although the party has 11 regions in the province, special focus is expected to be on key regions which include eThekwini, KwaDukuza, Msunduzi and Richards Bay.

In 2021 the ANC lost the Umhlathuze Local Municipality in Richards Bay to an IFP-led coalition. The party also failed to win with an outright majority in eThekwini, Msunduzi and KwaDukuza, however, with the assistance of smaller parties, the ANC managed to cling to power.

In eThekwini, the contest is rumoured to be between municipality Speaker Thabani Nyawose and Nkosenhle Madlala, the former deputy secretary of the region.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za