The party was set to hold its conference this weekend in Bloemfontein but due to undisclosed reasons, the party has since revealed that the planned elective conference, which was set to elect a new Provincial Executive Committee (PEC), will not be held as expected. According to the IPC spokesperson, Oupa Khoabane, the conference will not be held this weekend, in accordance with the roadmap. He says the new date will be set for late October once the IPC sits to review the roadmap.

“As a result, we will like to convey our sincere apologies for this inconvenience. We will announce a reviewed roadmap in due course, Khoabane adds.

In July 2022, disgruntled ANC members dragged the party’s IPC to the Free State High Court on a matter of urgency. ANC Branch 29 Secretary in Mangaung, Ditaba Mokhutle, said that they were seeking a court judgment against the IPC to be dissolved. He said a number of factors have since ignited the court move and those include the failure to prepare and organise a provincial party conference. Mokhutle said another factor is that the IPC's nine-month lifespan has lapsed.

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However, in a twist of events, the two parties then struck a deal which included the disbandment of the Mangaung Interim Regional Structure (IRC).

Senior counsel (SC) Dali Mpofu, who represented the ANC's irate members, indicated to Judge Corné van Zyl that the parties agreed that no ANC branch will be dissolved by the ANC’s IPC. The parties also agreed to develop a road map which is set to prepare and direct them to the next provincial conference this year. The matter was not even argued before Judge van Zyl.

ANC upper structures, including the Provincial Executive Committees (PECs) and IPCs, were required to hold their provincial conferences in June, in preparation for the national conference in December this year. The IPCs in the Free State and North West have, however, been embroiled in party factional battles recently.

Khoabane previously said the interim structure is in the process of visiting branches to assist them in preparing for their conferences, especially those that are ready and work on reviving those that are defunct. In April, the ANC’s national spokesperson, Pule Mabe, said the ANC was set to receive a report on the provinces but they expected provinces to hold a conference between May and June.

However, Khoabane has revealed that the IPC has adopted the road map which must culminate with the provincial conference in September 2022. “The members are expected to renew their membership and ensure that they appear on the branch registers. This will be amplified through the Siveze campaign. The work of uniting and renewing the organisation is continuing without hindrance and we hope that at the time of going to the provincial conference, much would have been achieved,” he added.

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