“We are members of the ANC first before we become members of the Women’s League. We join the ANC first before we join the league. We don’t expect interference from the ANC, we are the ANC so we don’t know to which party you mean.
Letsoha Matal said the task force itself was appointed, not elected, by the ruling party’s National Election Commission. She denied allegations that the electoral conference would have a predetermined outcome.
“We are a national task force appointed by the ANC’s parent body. The ANC appointed this team, which means we will always return to the ANC to seek guidance and leadership. The structure of the Women’s League is independent,” she said.
The task force coordinator, Marubeen Ramukjuba, announced the postponement of the conference by a week, to allow the task force to “overcome the challenges raised by the chapters and hear the disputes and appeals raised by the association’s structures.”
Despite the delay, Mbit was confident the task force was ready to elect its long-awaited leadership.
We can assure you that we have seized the opportunity raised by the Office of the Secretary-General to request that the working group be satisfied that we are ready to convene the conference.
“We have looked at the reports submitted by the coordinator, and most of what needs to be done to ensure a credible conference has been done,” she said.