The African National Congress (ANC) has formally withdrawn its application for leave to appeal an interim court order that halted its tenth elective conference in the Eastern Cape.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the party confirmed that the notice of withdrawal had been served on all relevant parties and filed with the registrar of the Eastern Cape High Court.
ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu said the decision followed the receipt of the judge’s formal reasons for granting the interim order and was taken on the advice of the party’s legal team.
“We are satisfied that the issues raised in this matter are more substantively addressed through other procedural avenues available to us before the honourable court,” Bhengu said.
She added that these avenues would allow the ANC to demonstrate, on a full evidentiary basis, that it had complied with the court order and that its membership records and administrative processes in the Eastern Cape were consistent with the party’s constitution.
The development comes after the East London High Court last month halted the ANC’s Eastern Cape Provincial Elective Conference. The ruling followed concerns raised by party members over alleged irregularities in the convening of the conference and the validity of the verification report.
The court ordered the ANC to resolve the outstanding disputes and procedural issues before proceeding with the conference. The party has since indicated that it will respect the judgment and work to address the concerns before announcing a new date for the gathering.
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