Mbalula and Team Face High Court Reckoning Over Eastern Cape Conference Chaos

The Eastern Cape High Court in East London forced ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula and the provincial executive committee to halt plans for the party’s elective provincial conference, following an urgent court application by three members — Lwazi Rotya, Sinethemba Mpande, and Nompumelelo Mzothwa — who argued the gathering was unlawful and unconstitutional. The legal battle has plunged the ANC into one of its most embarrassing organisational crises in recent years, raising serious questions about the party’s internal governance and Mbalula’s handling of pre-conference disputes.

At the heart of the matter is Mbalula’s verification report, which claimed that 535 of 554 branches had qualified, surpassing the 70% threshold required to proceed. Applicants challenged this, arguing that no preliminary verification report was issued as required by ANC guidelines, that the figures were inconsistent with regional reports, and that some branches that should have qualified were excluded while others that did not qualify were approved. The court ultimately found the report invalid, ruling that it had been issued only a week before the conference date rather than the required two weeks.

A contempt of court application was then filed against Mbalula, NEC convener Mmamoloko Kubayi, Provincial Chairperson Oscar Mabuyane, and other National Executive Committee members deployed in the province, following the ANC’s alleged failure to comply with an interim court order interdicting the elective conference. The high court in KuGompo City postponed the contempt of court application against 12 ANC members without setting a new date, while more than 1,000 party supporters had gathered at the East London ICC hoping to elect the province’s new leadership.

The provincial dispute resolution committee had dealt with 110 disputes in the lead-up to the conference, some of which were escalated to national structures. Insiders also noted that the PEC had been largely sidelined, often being told of decisions rather than debating them, as national leaders steered both the legal strategy and conference planning. Mbalula ultimately decided to put the conference on hold until all matters before the court and all outstanding issues were fully resolved.

It is understood that Mabuyane is eyeing a third term to bolster his national political ambitions, with his name circulating as a potential ANC deputy president on Mbalula’s slate, while Mbalula himself is believed to be positioning for the party presidency in 2027. The unfolding legal drama has exposed the deeply factional nature of the ANC’s internal politics, and critics warn that allowing conferences to proceed amid unresolved disputes — only to be halted by courts — does lasting damage to the party’s credibility and its relationship with the very communities it governs.