Disputed membership records lie at the centre of the legal battle.
Hopes for the ANC’s interdicted provincial conference in the Eastern Cape have dimmed, as the party has yet to fulfil its commitment to provide branch attendance registers deemed crucial to proving the legitimacy of the postponed gathering.
The delay stems from demands by dissatisfied members that the ANC should produce electronic membership system records of branch attendances across the province for 2025 and 2026, with minutes and signed registers from all branch general meetings held prior to the conference.
Court-ordered records still outstanding
In an affidavit, applicant Lwazi Rotya, one of three members who successfully interdicted the conference, said ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula had promised the court that raw attendance data would be made available for inspection by the applicants’ lawyers at the ANC’s attorneys’ offices.
But this has not yet happened. Instead, Rotya said his lawyers were shown spreadsheets that did not resemble the raw electronic data required by court.
Rotya, together with fellow applicants Sinethemba Mpande and Nompumelelo Mzothwa, secured the interdict on 26 March, halting the conference indefinitely.
Dispute centres on membership data
They argued the meeting, scheduled for the same day, was irregular and violated both ANC constitutional provisions and party conference guidelines.
The trio further alleged their rights as members were undermined by the way the conference was organised.
Central to their case is the demand for verified branch attendance information, which would demonstrate that meetings were properly organised and quorated – a prerequisite for convening a provincial conference under the ANC guidelines.
Allegations of manipulation
Rotya said the ANC acted disingenuously by offering incomplete data to the court, insisting the party never intended to supply the material it had promised.
He added that, as a member, he was entitled to access such information under the ANC constitution and national constitution, including a fair audit of his membership status.
His concerns were due to allegations of manipulation within the party’s membership system, including fraudulent practices such as “ID harvesting” – where identity documents are collected and scanned to create the false impression that branch meetings took place.
Other claims involve fraudulent branch meetings and registration of members who never attended meetings, a practice Rotya said was widespread.
The applicants are also challenging the final verification of pre-conference processes that included branch audits signed off by Mbalula.
His signing authorised the conference to proceed on 26-29 March before it was halted.
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