The branch of one of the ANC leaders of the regions of Mpumalanga had a BGM on Thursday afternoon, nominating delegates and candidates for the ANC’s 54th congress.
The branch of the leader of the ANC in the Gert Sibande region of Mpumalanga has conducted a branch general meeting only to put nobody’s name on the nomination form.
Members confirmed that during a nomination process at the Manzana Cultural Centre they agreed on the word ‘Unity’ instead of someone’s name.
This is after the ANC in Mpumalanga released a statement to dismiss reports that provincial chairman DD Mabuza has instructed PEC members and regional leaders to put the word ‘Unity’ on the nomination forms than someone’s name.
SEE HERE: Mpumalanga ANC denies ordering branches to nominate ‘Unity’
Members in Badplaas ward 17 where Chirwa’s membership is said it was after consideration during discussions that “putting people’s names on the nomination form will kill the ANC”.
“Others wanted CR17 but the majority said they want ‘Unity’, we voted. Unity. And then we signed the nomination forms and closed the meeting,” one ward 17 branch member said after the nomination meeting had concluded.
‘Unity’ is the new trend used by branches influenced by Mabuza’s call for unity in the province.
They argue that should one between Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa win, the one who loses will leave the ANC to form a splinter party as it happened in 2007 when the Congress of the People was formed and in 2012 when the EFF was also formed by ANC members whose slate lost in congress.
They say they will not allow the 7 contestants – Dlamini-Zuma, Ramaphosa, Baleka Mbete, Lindiwe Sisulu, Jeff Radebe, Zweli Mkhize and Mathews Phosa – to kill the ANC in front of their watch and that they want the ANC to sit down and agree on who is best suitable to take over from outgoing President Jacob Zuma.
The Unity candidate, believed to be Mabuza himself or Zweli Mkhize, will be elected from the floor once delegates have agreed on who is best for the positions in the top 6 and executive and in that way electing what the Unity group calls an “uncontested leadership”.
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But Mabuza himself is connected with the Dlamini-Zuma group, which wants him to deputise her and NDZ supporters in the Mpumalanga province believe that ‘Unity’ is a Mabuza sign for a support for NDZ.
The Unity group doesn’t say a word about the NDZ group but is openly opposed to the CR17 group and this is seen in statements released by the spokeswoman of the ANC in the province, Sasekani Manzini – distancing the Mpumalanga ANC from the CR17 camp.
Supporters of CR17 in Badplaas said they were not satisfied with how the BGM was conducted.
“If you say Unity, who is Unity? Delegates will go to congress and elect Unity? Doesn’t the constitution say we must nominate leaders during BGMs?” a CR17 supporter asked.
(edited by MLM)
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