Following the NEC decision, the North West and Free State delegations were allowed back into the main plenary tent.

Delegates told NewsFire that ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe has reportedly threatened branch-by-branch disciplinary action against aggrieved North West delegates if they persist with raising the issues around the North West’s participation in the main plenary.

The case of the ANC’s North West secretary, Kabelo Mataboge, has also reportedly been resolved by Mantashe. Mataboge was suspended last Thursday after surviving a suspected assassination attempt two weeks ago. He has been a vocal supporter of Kgalema Motlanthe for ANC president. Mataboge was also prevented from participating in the Mangaung conference on Sunday.

Some North West delegates are still reluctant to permit Mataboge’s participation fearing further unrest.

In related news, the Free State Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) are still waiting for a midday Tuesday deadline to expire until they take further action as mentioned in their letter of demand served to Mantashe on Monday. An interdict on the conference on Tuesday could invalidate any decisions taken by the conference.

The letter of demand threatens to interdict the Mangaung conference if a list of demands are not complied with by Tuesday. This came after the party’s national executive committee banned the PEC from taking part in the conference due to a Constitutional Court that declared the province’s newly elected PEC and its decisions null and void. DM

Photo: ANC 53rd elective conference, Mangaung (Greg Nicolson/NewsFire).