South Africa: Among Many Scenarios, One Certainty - Legal Chaos At the ANC's December Conference

analysis

Over the weekend the ANC in the Eastern Cape attempted to hold a conference and elect a leader. It was always going to be a highly contested gathering. With just a couple of months to go until the elective conference in December, this was to be a weather vane to help us to predict what could happen come year's end. In the end the conference was marred by violence and disruptions. Then, the candidate who supported Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa in the strongest way won. Then, the delegates who lost lodged papers in court asking for the result to be declared null and void. This conference may well have given us a much more detailed road map of the national conference than we were expecting. By STEPHEN GROOTES.

The violence that marred the ANC's Eastern Cape conference on Saturday night was on the cards from the moment delegates gathered there on Friday. There were issues with credentials, and eventually a group of delegates were able to push past security and force their way in despite having the incorrect documents. This was a contest between the now former Eastern Cape ANC leader (and provincial premier) Phumulo Masualle, and his provincial secretary...

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