ANC branches gathered in Nelson Mandela Bay demanding to speak with leadership regarding their unhappiness with the election councillor candidate list process.
|||Port Elizabeth - ANC branches in Nelson Mandela Bay gathered outside the party's regional offices on Tuesday demanding to speak with leadership regarding their unhappiness with the Local Government Election councillor candidate list process.
Community members from wards 54, 36, 27, 43, 28, 19, and 33 were prevented from entering Florence Matomela House in Govan Mbeki Avenue, at one point they sat and sang along street lanes and then later some got up and started to argue with security barring access to the building.
Prior to elections tempers flared in Nelson Mandela Bay when residents staged protests around the councillor candidate lists, they claimed that lists had been manipulated to include people who had not been endorsed by residents.
Siphiwo Dayimani, from ward 54 (Motherwell), said that during election season they complained to the African National Congress (ANC) provincial executive committee (PEC) about the councillor candidate list which they believe was a flawed process. “They asked to meet with our members, asked them to vote and after August 3, they would rectify the problem. We did that but now they are so silent.”
“The processes that were followed before the elections were not correct, they promised us, we met with the PEC [and] we met with the [national executive committee] NEC, they promised us they going to come and rectify that mistake. Now we are here as branches and we want who entered the list wrongly [they] must be removed,” said Dayimani.
Ward 36 (Kwadesi) community member, Pakama Masele, said community members were unhappy with their elected councillor. Masela said they were promised by the ANC Regional Task Team that the councillor candidates would be changed post elections.
Community members from Soweto-on-Sea echoed the same sentiments, saying that promises were made but after elections nothing had materialised.
ANC PEC member, Andile Lungisa, said that he had met with branches on Tuesday and a report would be presented next week to address the issues. “All the issues are not the same, so there is not one solution for all. A process will be followed and those who are affected are happy with that solution,” said Lungisa.
African News Agency