Lerato Mbhiza
The postponement was announced by the ANCWL task team national coordinator, Maropene Ramokgopa in a media briefing on Tuesday.
The conference was meant to take place on 17-19 of June but it was postponed to 14-16 July. And again, it was postponed by a week to 21-23 July.
Ramokgopa said “the national conference preparatory committee met regularly since the adoption of the new roadmap to the conference and has since received reports on the verification of branches, delegations to the conference, work of the electoral commission, finance, and security-related matters as well as conference logistics”.
The committee also met with ANC Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula and resolved to postpone the conference by a week to allow all necessary measures to be undertaken to uphold the credibility and integrity of the conference.
“The meeting conducted an assessment of the pre-registration process which had taken place from 7-9 July. Pre-registration is undertaken in Provinces with the intention of resolving any outstanding issues and disputes ahead of formal registration at the conference and to ensure that delays usually encountered during registration are dealt with ahead of time,” said Ramokgopa.
Several provinces, most notably the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Free State and Gauteng, had smooth pre-registration processes. While other provinces, such as KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, experienced a variety of challenges which required further attention, Ramokgopa said.
The 11th of July 2023 marks a year since the appointment of the ANCWL’s National Task Team (NTT) following the disbandment of the ANCWL NEC by the African National Congress in June of 2022.
The NTT’s singular mandate was to establish ANCWL structures from branch level, to ultimately convening the 13th National Conference.
Ramokgopa said all this had to be done within a period of 12 months: “We are pleased to say we have adhered to Terms of Reference we were given by the ANC as we are now a few days away from the 13th National Conference.
“As previously communicated, the 13th National Conference of the ANCWL will be convened undear the theme: “Advancing Decisive Action Towards the Full Liberation and Emancipation of Women”.
The theme of the National Conference, the organizers said, encapsulates the urgent need to address the persi-stent barriers that hinder women’s empowerment and equality.
“It calls for a proactive and determined approach to dismantling discriminatory structures, norms, and practices that limit women’s opportunities and infringe upon their rights,” Ramokgopa added.
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