Joburg ANC hits back at conference manipulation claims

The ANC Johannesburg region has distanced itself from the “Hollywood-style” bust which allegedly discovered ballot boxes at a Pretoria home on Sunday.

Regional secretary Sasabona Manganye petitioned for the structure to not be associated with the “shenanigans” that have arisen after conference.

“National and the province will have to speak because it has nothing to do with us. Our regional conference was properly closed on December 5 by comrade Khumbudzo Ntshavheni as the convenor of deployees of the NEC.

“What happened there is not our business; national and province will have to deal with it. You have an ANC internal process being subjected to media coverage, you want to go and get ballot papers live on TV. You ask yourself, this movie was well directed — because the movie started with Sanco and a media briefing and now the ballot showdown?” he said.

The newly elected regional executive convened a special sitting the following day to discuss the challenges which have spilled over into the public domain.

“We have convened a special meeting to assess the intensifying political attacks directed at the democratically elected leadership of the 16th regional conference which undermines the authority of branches in exercising their democratic right to elect their leaders.”

No individual or structure has the authority to bypass, override or criminalise ANC political processes. The ANC is not governed by the police, nor will it allow state institutions to weaponise it in factional battles

—  Sasabona Manganye, ANC Joburg regional secretary

He clarified that the authority over the internal elections, the supervision of the ballot papers and dispute resolution rested exclusively with the ANC electoral commission through an independent electoral agency.

“No individual or structure has the authority to bypass, override or criminalise ANC political processes. The ANC is not governed by the police, nor will it allow state institutions to weaponise it in factional battles.”

Manganye hit back at the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco), which he blamed for being the catapult for the reaction to Dada Morero’s loss of political power in the region.

“Sanco’s continued alignment with particular groupings of the ANC undermines its credibility as a civic organisation and erodes the foundational principles within the alliance. The failure of Sanco to formally congratulate the newly elected leadership confirms the posture driven by political preference over principled political engagement.”

However, Manganye said the ANC Gauteng leadership collective had kept mum and not come to the region’s defence in the face of a myriad of scathing allegations.

“We have resolved that in the interest of stability, continuity and consolidation of the ANC authority in the city of Johannesburg, it was prudent for comrade Dada [Morero] to continue serving as the executive mayor.”

According to Manganye, this decision reflects their strategic resolve to strengthen political oversight and advance service delivery without disruption.

He was reacting to alliance partner Sanco, which made allegations of vote buying, bribery and rigging at the December conference.

The REC cautions against any attempt to delegitimise constitutional outcomes through commentary outside these established processes.

—  Manganye

Manganye criticised Sanco’s move, saying that principled engagement has always been the norm of the alliance, warning that the ally must desist from being used to fight ANC factional battles.

“We categorically reject any conduct that undermines organisational discipline, unity and internal democracy through media grandstanding and factional alignment.

“The REC [regional executive committee] was taken aback following that decision, by the conduct of Sanco which has chosen to publicly air unsubstantiated allegations against the ANC leadership in Johannesburg while posturing as a self-appointed defender of Morero who is our deployee.”

He refused to comment further on disputes and irregularities raised by potentially disgruntled members who are unhappy with how the elective contest was conducted. Instead he placed the responsibility on the doorstep of their upper structures to ventilate.

“The ANC electoral commission that presided over the 16th regional elective conference was properly constituted with NEC deployees to Gauteng represented, as well as by PEC deployees, alliance representatives and leagues, and an independent elections agency appointed by the national structure as communicated by the secretary-general Fikile Mbalula for the province and region to choose among three companies to manage elections.

“This process was inclusive, credible and constitutionally sound, decisively refuting all insinuations of manipulation.”

Manganye said he had received confirmation from Mbalula that all matters relating to the embattled conference will be processed and finalised by the electoral commission.

“The REC cautions against any attempt to delegitimise constitutional outcomes through commentary outside these established processes.”

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