Disgruntled ANC members air grievances in march on Calata House

With less than a month before political parties submit candidate lists for the November local government elections, disgruntled ANC members in the Eastern Cape have warned that unresolved branch disputes, contested membership records and ignored appeal rulings threaten to deepen divisions within the governing party.

This comes after ANC DR WB Rubusana region member Lwazi Rotya led more than 400 disgruntled members to the party’s provincial headquarters, urging the ANC to resolve hundreds of branch disputes before the Independent Electoral Commission’s July 31 deadline.

The disgruntled members, from various regions including Joe Gqabi, OR Tambo and mostly Dr WB Rubusana, blockaded the N2 outside Calata House in Qonce calling for an intervention from the party’s leadership.

The group, led by various members, including Rotya, submitted a memorandum accusing party leaders of manipulating branch meetings, councillor nominations, membership systems, dispute-resolution processes and conference outcomes to advance factional interests ahead of the 2027 national conference and the local government elections scheduled for November.

The group alleges that senior leaders, including ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, have interfered in organisational processes, ignored dispute rulings, selectively applied party policies and protected certain leaders, while the recently appointed provincial task team is accused of unlawfully dissolving branches, suspending members and imposing candidates.

The group further appealed to ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa, who was in the province’s Chris Hani region for party duties, to intervene and resolve disputes “politically rather than through the courts”.

The members, in the memorandum, also raised concerns about the ANC’s membership system, which they claimed was vulnerable to manipulation.

According to them, paid-up members are frequently removed from membership rolls without explanation, membership lists are issued without clear verification mechanisms and branch membership records are allegedly altered to influence organisational outcomes.

They further allege that membership verification processes are inconsistently applied, with branches perceived to be aligned to certain factions receiving favourable treatment while others are disqualified despite complying with party requirements.

The protesters also accuse the party’s dispute-resolution structures of failing to act independently and fairly.

They claim that rulings by the national dispute resolution committee (NDRC) and its appeals body have not always been implemented, despite successful appeals by branches.

The memorandum alleges that some disputes dating back to 2025 remain unresolved and that the current dispute-resolution system has become susceptible to factional influence.

The group further questioned what it described as the inconsistent application of the ANC’s step-aside policy.

They pointed to ANC Chris Hani leader Lusanda Sizani, alleging that despite facing criminal proceedings, he had not been subjected to the same organisational consequences experienced by other ANC leaders in similar circumstances.

Rotya is facing possible suspension after the provincial task team (PTT) issued notices to him and two other members for allegedly interdicting the ANC’s elective conference and challenging the PTT’s legitimacy in court.

Speaking on the sidelines, Rotya said many of the disputes engulfing the party in the province could have been avoided had leaders adhered to the ANC constitution and internal guidelines from the outset.

He said the unresolved disputes ahead of the IEC deadline risked undermining the party’s own democratic mechanisms.

“We find ourselves in a situation where everything may be short-circuited,” he said.

“The ANC is a democratic organisation and it must practice democracy.

“If these issues are not resolved before the deadlines arrive, then the question is what happens to all those members who have lodged complaints.”

He argued that members who had raised concerns should not be viewed as opponents of the ANC, insisting they remained active participants within party structures.

“For some people, there is a perception that if you challenge certain decisions you are an enemy of the ANC. That is not true,” he said.

“The problem is that some leaders do not want to be challenged when they are doing something wrong.

“The courts have repeatedly told the ANC where it has erred and instructed it to correct those mistakes.

“The ball is in the ANC’s court in terms of what they want to make of the Eastern Cape issues.

“The Eastern Cape is a hotspot for branch disputes and many of the problems that prevented the provincial conference from taking place have still not been resolved.”

Rotya also questioned disciplinary measures initiated against some members who had challenged the party in court.

He referred to the recent Makhanda high court judgment that declared the appointment of the province’s PTT unlawful and invalid.

“There was an illegal appointment of a PTT that took unlawful decisions. You cannot suspend a person simply because they took the ANC to court and won,” he said.

“If suspensions are pursued, we will continue to challenge them.”

None of the party’s top provincial leaders were present at Calata House as most were in Cofimvaba for Ramaphosa’s visit.

The ANC’s Eastern Cape elections team co-ordinator, Nanziwe Rulashe-Nesi, could not be reached for comment.

However, in a previous report, Rulashe-Nesi said they were not aware of the planned march to Calata House.

“We respect the right of members to raise concerns through appropriate and lawful channels, and we encourage all members to continue engaging through the party’s internal processes,” Rulashe-Nesi said.

The party is yet to comment on the matter.

Daily Dispatch