2008/11/27
THE African National Congress has formed a 26-member regional task team to prepare the Amathole region for its conference to be held by February.
“The most important term of reference is to deliver the region to a conference by February 2009,” provincial secretary Siphatho Handi said yesterday.
He said the task team was led by national executive committee member Fikile Xasa and provincial deputy secretary and Health MEC Pemmy Majodina, who were co-conveners.
The task team was formed after the ANC disbanded the regional leadership following the resignation of its chairman, Mluleki George, to co-found the breakaway Congress of the People (Cope).
This action was taken after branches called for its dissolution last month.
Handi yesterday said the names of the 26- member task team were submitted for ratification by the provincial leadership to the regional general council held at the weekend in East London.
“The members are coming from across the sub-regions. The task team tried to be balanced, but it may not be perfect.”
Handi said the duty of the task team was to ensure that branch general meetings were held to nominate candidates to serve in Parliament and the Legislature.
He added that the provincial ANC welcomed the national leadership’s decision to launch the party’s manifesto in Amathole region on January 10 to coincide with the January 8 celebrations, which mark the anniversary of the founding of the ANC.
“ Eastern Cape continues to occupy leadership in the whole of the country. We are reclaiming our rightful place in the country.” This was not the first time the ANC would hold its January 8 celebrations in the Eastern Cape – it did so in the mid 1990s in Mthatha, he said, adding that the launch of the manifesto would give people of the province a chance to listen to the ANC’s national leaders .
Meanwhile, the provincial leadership has given its Mbhashe councillors until tomorrow to reverse their decision to reshuffle the mayoral committee.
Handi insisted that the reshuffling of a mayoral committee was a competency of the provincial deployment committee.
He also said the deployment committee still had to decide who it would appoint to be mayor of Mnquma municipality.
This comes after ANC councillors elected Mpumelelo Maphazi as acting mayor without the blessing of the party deployment committee when mayor Mabona Duna resigned last week to join Cope.
According to Handi, the provincial leadership decided to engage branches in Mnquma to consult with them on who should be mayor there.
“We want to get a sense of their feeling. Their view may be considered,” he said, adding that the provincial leadership would be in Mnquma sub-region tomorrow.
In 2006 the deployment committee nominated Nomlindo Dyantyi, who was never elected by rebel councillors there. - By MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA
Senior Political Correspondent
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