ANC rebels accuse party of stalling case

Rebel KwaZulu-Natal ANC branches that took their parent body to court to have the outcome of the November 2015 elective conference declared null and void have accused the ANC of stalling their case.

Addressing the media in Durban after the removal of the interlocutory application from the court roll on Wednesday‚ spokesman for the group‚ Sithembiso Mshengu‚ said they were still pushing ahead with their court action.

The rebel branches went to court in a bid to scrap the outcome of the conference at which Sihle Zikalala beat Senzo Mchunu for the ANC chairmanship by a small margin.  They want the outcome set aside on the basis that legitimate branch delegates had been denied access to the conference venue.

“It remains our considered view that the current provincial executive committee of the ANC continues to abuse the court processes in order to prolong their illegitimate occupation of the office and exercise of political authority over the structures of the ANC in KZN‚” he said.

• KwaZulu-Natal ANC open to out-of-court relief for rebels The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has extended an olive branch to the 200 rebels who have taken the party to court, saying it is willing to negotiate an out-of-court settlement. 

He said the recent withdrawal of the interlocutory application “was nothing but a desperate attempt to buy themselves more time in keeping with their plan of delaying the hearing on the substantive motion filed against the processes preceding and the actual outcome of the November 2015 provincial conference".

Alfa Zwane‚ the lawyer representing the group‚ said the hearing for the interlocutory application had been scheduled to take place on Wednesday but lawyers for both parties agreed that the respondents will not persist with it and it was then removed from the court roll.

Both parties will now have to agree on dates for the respondents to file their answering affidavits and once the applicants have respondent a date for the hearing will then be set down.

Mshengu said: “Our shelter in this regard remains the court of law to determine the future conduct of leadership in complying with the regulations and the constitution of the ANC.”

He appealed to the all the branches that support the court case to “remain resolute as we believe that all the delaying and manipulative tactics are exhausted. Justice cannot be delayed forever. The next coming weeks‚ truth will prevail and we hope the courts will rule in our favour.”