ANC: Chaos won't reign

The ANC's elective conference in Mangaung next weekend will not descend into the chaos that disrupted some of the ruling party's nominations conferences at the weekend.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said the party was more than ready for the conference, at which President Jacob Zuma is expected to face off with Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe in a contest for the leadership of the ANC.

Speaking to journalists at Luthuli House, the party's headquarters, Mantashe said that 65% of the 4500 delegates had pre-registered for the conference and it was "all systems go".

"My prediction is that the Mangaung conference is going to be stable. There is not going to be rowdiness in Mangaung. We don't feel the organisation is under siege," he said.

Mantashe was speaking after a special meeting of the ANC's national executive committee on Monday. The meeting was called after two provincial nominations conferences collapsed and others were marred by allegations of vote-rigging.

Mantashe said party bosses had resolved that Limpopo and Western Cape reconvene their nominations conferences today.

He said the party would send 12 national executive committee members to preside over the two meetings.

Zuma's supporters in Limpopo stormed the nominations conference at the weekend, claiming they had been unfairly excluded. In Western Cape, divisions in the provincial executive committee led to the meeting being abandoned.

Mantashe said the ANC leadership in Western Cape must take responsibility for the failure of the conference.

"The storming of the Limpopo nominations conferences by delegates who felt they were unfairly marginalised was condemned," he said.

"Disrupting an ANC meeting or gathering is not an option, immaterial [sic] of reasons thereof."

The ANC condemned the attempted assassination of ANC North West secretary Kabelo Mataboge last Friday.

"The ANC condemns such dastardly acts that can only undermine the defectiveness of the organisation.

"We call on the police not to leave any stone unturned to bring to book those behind this heinous act."