WATCH | ANC members protest Ward 24 candidate selection
The members accused the ANC of presiding over what they described as a "bruised" and unfair nomination process during candidate selections held on Sunday, saying the outcome did not reflect the will of branch members
Factional tensions within the ANC’s Moses Mabhida Region spilled onto the streets on Monday when disgruntled Ward 24 members picketed outside the party’s regional offices, alleging that the councillor candidate nomination process had been manipulated.
The members accused the ANC of presiding over what they described as a “bruised and unfair” nomination process during candidate selections held on Sunday, saying the outcome did not reflect the will of branch members.
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Chanting outside the ANC Moses Mabhida regional offices in Pietermaritzburg, the protesters demanded that the party intervene and review the nomination process, insisting that irregularities had undermined the credibility of the selection.
The demonstration comes as the ANC finalises its candidate lists ahead of the upcoming local government by-elections, with candidate nomination disputes emerging in several parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
ANC Moses Mabhida regional spokesperson Xoli Ntshangase confirmed that the regional leadership was aware of the members’ grievances.
“We are aware of the concerns being raised by members from Ward 24. The ANC has established internal processes to deal with disputes arising from candidate nominations, and this matter has been referred to the provincial structures,” Ntshangase said.
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She said the region would allow the provincial leadership to consider the dispute in line with the ANC’s constitutional processes and dispute resolution mechanisms.
The protesting members, however, maintained that they would continue demanding transparency and fairness in the selection of councillor candidates, arguing that the nomination process should reflect the democratic choices of branch members.