Calata House ‘must give answers’

HUNDREDS of ANC members marched on the party’s provincial headquarters yesterday, threatening similar action at national headquarters at Luthuli House if their complaints were not addressed.

The more than 500 members from Buffalo City, Alfred Nzo and O R Tambo regions braved rainy King William’s Town weather to present their grievances to provincial party bosses at Calata House.

The crowds started gathering at Victoria Grounds early yesterday, starting their march at midday.

A heavy police presence kept an eye on proceedings as the marchers headed to Calata House where they were greeted with locked gates.

The march is one of several demonstrations that disgruntled ANC Buffalo City Metro region members and provincial leaders have embarked on this year.

The first saw protesters march on the BCM regional office and another, held a month ago, saw disgruntled members visit the Mdantsane FNB branch complaining about membership forms rigging.

Last week another group staged a sit-in and sleepover outside Calata House while a group from the O R Tambo region marched to their regional offices demanding that the recent regional conference be declared null and void.

Addressing the marchers, former ANCYL provincial leader Ayanda Matiti vowed that the looming BCM regional elective conference would not be convened this weekend until their grievances were addressed.

However, both provincial and regional executive committees said it would go ahead.

Matiti said the PEC had no will to address issues raised by ANC members. He also accused the party’s provincial leaders of taking decisions contradictory to the ANC constitution.

“The ANC PEC must answer this question; where is it in the constitution of the ANC the leave they have given Mkolo?” he asked.

He was referring to the “on leave” BCM regional secretary Phumlani Mkolo, who has since been replaced by acting regional secretary Mkhawuleli Maleki.

Baxolile Kulu, who was representing the OR Tambo delegation, echoed similar problems that they are allegedly facing in the region.

“There are a lot of reports that are gathering dust, of which we have heard nothing about including the Nkosazana Zuma and Jessie Duarte reports,” he said.

Handing over a memorandum of grievances, Joe Jordan said the report by Duarte should be presented to branches by the national offices.

Some of the demands listed by the disgruntled members include:

● Dissolution of the BCM REC and for a task team to be established;

● The FNB investigation report on membership rigging be made public;

● The O R Tambo regional be re-convened; and

● The Nyandeni sub-region be reconvened properly.

Closing the march outside Calata House, former ANCYL provincial secretary Mziwonke Ndabeni said: “Some of these leaders are planning for our demise.

“We are prepared to die for this.”

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