Delivering his keynote address at the ANC's ninth provincial conference in North West last night, Mabuza said GBV is an issue of fundamental human rights. 

He said it is the responsibility of every citizen to confront acts of discrimination against women and children. 

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His comment comes after several heinous crimes were committed against women and young girls in the province and across the country.

Mabuza further said the country must act against all forms of gender oppression.

He also urged ANC members to form unity and make sure that the party stays true to its plans of renewing party ideals.

"This conference takes place at a time when our movement, in its totality, is facing challenges to maintaining unity of purpose, ideological coherence around the National Democratic Revolution, and organisational discipline to carry out the mandate to selflessly serve the people," Mabuza further adds.

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The conference kick-started on Saturday under a dark cloud following a court order against at least 20 of the ANC's Interim Provincial Committee (IPC) members.

On Friday night, High Court Judge, Frances Maria Magrietha Snyman, ordered that these members will not take part in the voting processes.

Unhappy ANC members from different structures across different districts, took the embattled IPC to court over allegations that included the alleged rigging of candidate lists meant to contest the 2021 November local elections.

The conference is expected to take two days and will elect a new Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) leadership since it was disbanded by the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) in 2018.

It was disbanded after the then chairperson and former premier, Supra Mahumapelo, resigned following pressure after sporadic violent protests in cities such as Mahikeng and Klerksdorp due to lack of service delivery.

But Mahumapelo later refuted claims that the protests were influenced by issues of lack of service delivery. 

He once told OFM News that several people had approached him to confess that they were paid by his alleged enemies to instigate those protests to force him out of government. But a few years later after resigning as the chairperson of that PEC, he is now back again to contest for the election of chairmanship.

The ninth ANC North West provincial conference will sit from 13 to 14 August 2022 at the Rustenburg Civic Centre.

OFM News