The ANC has been granted leave to appeal a court decision to halt its Eastern Cape conference.

• The Eastern Cape High Court in KuGompo City will hear an appeal on Friday afternoon against an order halting the ANC’s Eastern Cape conference.
• The conference was meant to start on Thursday and conclude on Sunday in KuGompo City.
• ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has decided to put the conference on hold until all matters before the court and all issues are concluded.

The ANC’s appeal against an interdict halting the party’s Eastern Cape conference will be heard on Friday afternoon in the Eastern Cape High Court in KuGompo City.

Earlier on Friday, after a meeting of the provincial executive committee, ANC convener in the Eastern Cape Mmamoloko Kubayi said: “We have been granted leave to appeal, and the judge has said that the parties involved should be able to approach, and [the matter] can be heard this afternoon. He is available to hear that this afternoon.”

In the high court on Thursday afternoon, acting Judge Babalo Metu granted an interim interdict prohibiting the party from holding the Eastern Cape conference, which was meant to start on Thursday and conclude on Sunday in KuGompo City.

The application was lodged by three ANC members who approached the court on Monday.

They sought to prevent the conference from taking place.

In addition, they wanted the court to nullify ANC’s secretary-general Fikile Mbalula’s verification report, which stated that the conference had met the 70% threshold for compliance.

They argued that the party had flouted its own rules and guidelines in the build-up to the conference.

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At the briefing, Kubayi said Mbalula had decided to put the conference on hold until all matters before the court and all issues were concluded.

“Remember, when we got the 70% the issues in the letter were that we needed to ensure that we comply and we conclude all disputes …currently we are finalising that.”

Kubayi added:

The three applicants say the party is in contempt of court because it is continuing with the conference despite the interdict.

This matter will be heard on Saturday.

Before the press briefing, the regional secretaries and chairpersons held a quick caucus with the delegates and told delegates, to loud cheers, that the conference would continue.

Other delegates could be heard saying they were anxious, not knowing whether the conference would continue or not.

Others blamed provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi – who is contesting for the chairperson post – for the court challenges.

However, on Thursday, Luyolo Nqakula, who is contesting for secretary in Ngcukayitobi’s slate, Thina Bantu (we the people), dismissed suggestions that Ngcukayitobi was behind the court challenges.

He said aggrieved members of the ANC had decided to take the matter to court, not Ngcukayitobi.

Ngcukayitobi was missing from the conference venue and had not participated in the PEC meetings or media briefings on Thursday or Friday morning.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated with additional information.