Candidates that lost in the election for the top five officials’ positions of the ANC in the Dullah Omar region have made the cut into the regional executive committee as additional members.
The election took place late into the night on Sunday after nominations were made in the afternoon.
City of Cape Town councillor Dee Badela, who contested unsuccessfully for regional secretary post, topped the list of regional executive committee additional members.
Treasurer hopeful, councillor Anele Gabuza, was third on the list of additional members.
The party’s chief whip in the legislature, Pat Lekker, who lost to SACP deputy provincial secretary Sonwabile Ngxiza, also made the cut in the regional executive at number seven.
Dark horse Tshepo Moletsane, who was outclassed by Ndithini Tyhido for the chairperson position, was 12th on the list.
Councillor Judy Anne Stevens, who contested the deputy secretary post without luck, was at number 19.
Regional secretary Mvusi Mdala said the more than 300 delegates to the conference were inspired and encouraged to rebuild and renew the ANC in the region in line with the party’s 2030 Renewal Roadmap adopted at the 55th national conference.
“We understand and appreciate the urgency of the renewal agenda as we have established that we are facing an existential crisis and therefore renewal project is a compulsory process that we must undergo to ensure that this movement lives longer.
“We are fully conscious of the historic mission of the reversal of the colonial legacy that is still entrenched in the Cape Metro through the social and economic fabric still prevailing in this region,” Mdala said.
He said the apartheid legacy continued to entrench policies that oppressed black people in general.
“The Cape Metro is a pure resemblance to the apartheid regime under the leadership of the Democratic Alliance which continuously attempts to treat this province as a federal state.
“We have witnessed this through the attempts by the DA that has been trying to advance the unconstitutional agenda of the devolution of police and rail functions. This is exemplified by the recent imposition of unjustifiable impoundments of minibus taxis which escalated into a full-blown strike which resulted in senseless loss of life and livelihoods.”
Mdala said the delegates resolved to work more united to rebuild and renew the ANC in the Dullah Omar Region and act in unison with the Tripartite Alliance structures and all mass democratic movements.
“Delegates emerge from this conference even more confident in the unity of the organisation as a prerequisite in also responding to the DA-led government.”
He also said the conference committed to ensuring that the step-aside resolution was implemented consistently so that the rank and file of the organisation in the region had confidence in their capacity to address matters of morality fairly and justly.
Cape Times