Written By Mbali Dhlamini
The first day of the much-anticipated ANC National Elective Conference kicked off with drama at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg.
The day started with frustrating delays for the thousands of delegates who struggled to conclude their registration process in order to be granted voting access. This is the same verification that grants the delegates access to the various committee discussions scheduled for the next few days.
It’s understood that the delays were caused by issues related to the functionality of the printers and scanners used to verify the delegates.
While most delegates waited patiently in line for their registration to be completed, just outside the expo centre, there was a group of disgruntled Military Veterans who used the start of the conference to voice their dissatisfaction with what they have described as the ANC’s lack of appreciation for their contribution to the liberation struggle.
They have accused the party of sidelining them and ignoring their calls for access to funds that will pull them out of poverty and equip them with the ability to provide for their families.
As if aimed at juxtaposing the true meaning of the “Day of Reconciliation” the tensions and divisions that exist within the ruling party continued to be laid bare for all South Africans to see within the grounds of the Nasrec expo centre.
Party President Cyril Ramaphosa had to push through chants, singing, and heckling from the plenary room when he took to the podium to deliver the party’s Political Report.
Ramaphosa took to the stage with yet another dark cloud hanging over his head. In the latest development, The Jacob Zuma Foundation released a statement that said Ramaphosa had been charged in a private prosecution “for being an accessory after the fact in the crimes committed by among others Advocate Downer namely, breaching the provisions of the NPA Act”.
The latest allegation being leveled against the head of state comes as the party continues to try and find a way to deal with the Phala Phala Scandal.
When the heckling in the plenary eventually died down and delegates settled in to listen to the organizational report by Ramaphosa he was able to champion a message to all in attendance calling for the rejuvenation of the organization and the renewal of the commitment to unity.
Ramaphosa says the party’s 55th national conference comes at a time when the country is battling to maneuver through several challenges, therefore it is imperative that the organization emerges from the event with a plan of action that will restore the faith of South Africans in the ANC.
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