Michael Sakuneka

Michael Sakuneka

Angry ANC members of the Ngwako Ramalepe branch in Modjadjiskloof, Limpopo, have accused a senior party member of being a dictator.

This was after a branch meeting to nominate delegates to the provincial conference next month turned sour.

The meeting was held at the Mooketsi Community Hall near Modjadjiskloof on Saturday.

According to a member, this happened because district secretary Thabitha Mohlala allegedly failed to run the meeting in terms of ANC guidelines.

Mohlala allegedly appointed her friends, peers and non-members of the branch to represent it at the conference to be held at the University of Venda next month.

Some participants at the meeting claim that she did not follow procedure.

Instead Mohlala allegedly went to two people at the meeting and told them to be ready to represent the branch at the conference

The two people who were allegedly appointed without being endorsed by branch members are the area's Women's League chairman Cecilia Shai and branch chairman Willie Monyela.

Most of Mohlala's opponents reportedly came from earby Makgoba settlement in Modjadjiskloof and were told that they had no right to represent the branch at the conference.

Mohlala claimed the branch had not been functioning properly since the December conference in Polokwane.

One concerned ANC member said: "The disputes within the party are affecting the unity of our movement because members can display their power against others during meetings. Sometimes these meetings become unruly and result in violence."

In an interview with Mohlala yesterday, she denied the allegations.

She said the meeting was led by the branch chairman and that she was just a deployee who came to oversee the nominations and elections at the meeting.

"The people who are bad-mouthing me are the ones who started chanting slogans in the hall to disrupt the meeting," said Mohlala.