ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe has announced that party delegates whose legitimacy has been nullified by the courts would not be allowed to vote at the national conference.
Mantashe made the announcement at a media briefing after a special National Executive Committee meeting that was convened earlier on Saturday morning.
Mantashe: Special NEC met to ensure we don't do anything that will contaminate the national conference. #ANC54
— HuffPost SouthAfrica (@HuffPostSA) December 16, 2017
Delegates from various branches in the Bojanala region as well as provincial executive committee members from KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State will not be allowed to vote. They will, however, be allowed to attend the conference as observers.
Mantashe: FS, KZN and Bojanala will not be delegates to #ANC54 conference, will not vote/participate.
— HuffPost SouthAfrica (@HuffPostSA) December 16, 2017
Mantashe: These delegates will only be observers, will not vote on any matters. #ANC54
— HuffPost SouthAfrica (@HuffPostSA) December 16, 2017
ANC members in the North West on Friday won their court challenge to have the Bojanala regional conference nullified.
Bojanala, the biggest region in the North-West, was firmly behind presidential candidate Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Their absence will now surely deal a blow to her campaign for the ANC's top spot.
Gwede Mantashe seems determined to get the conference underway, saying the ANC won't entertain faulty interpretations of the party's constitution. @HuffPostSA #ANC54
— Pieter Du Toit (@PieterDuToit) December 16, 2017
The High Court in Pietermaritzburg also, on the same day, rejected an appeal by provincial ANC leaders in KZN and upheld its decision to have the provincial general council meeting in 2015 declared null and void.