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JOHANNESBURG. —The ANC has welcomed the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria’s judgment on the attempt to nullify the 54th National Elective Conference.

In January, KwaZulu-Natal businessman Vincent Myeni took the party to court in an effort to have the election of the ANC top six at its Nasrec conference in December declared invalid.

Myeni alleged that one of the ANC’s top six officials had fathered a child with an official from EleXions Agency, which was contracted to oversee the party’s elections.

He also questioned the credential of voting delegates and said the voting process had been full of irregularities.

In response, ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte said in court papers that the cost of re-running the ANC conference would be enormous.

She said the Nasrec conference had cost about R50m. She argued further that Myeni had failed to show he was an ANC member in good standing, News24 reported at the time.

In a statement on Thursday, the ANC said the case would have had “huge ramifications for our constitution and the functionality of the organisation in its entirety”.

The party said it “applauds” the court’s decision to dismiss the “frivolous” attempt which was “seeking to damage the ANC reputation”.

“The ANC is equally pleased that the court has ordered the applicant to pay the legal costs of the case. Yesterday’s [Wednesday] judgment sends a strong message to the members who believe that the courts are the only way to resolve internal matters of the movement.

“The ANC is of the view that, if the actions of members are left unattended, they will create a chaotic precedent that could paralyse the democratic processes within our organisation. The ANC calls on its members to desist from this practice,” the party said. — News24.