ANC owed an explanation if deputy president does not take over as president – Mantashe

The ANC general secretary Gwede Mantashe said the party would be owed an explanation if the sitting deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa does not take over as president after Jacob Zuma.

Mantashe was speaking at the O R Tambo lecture held at KwaNokuthula Hall in Plettenberg Bay.

He said the party was going into the December conference with “intolerence characteristics”.

The party is expected to elect its new leadership in December but provincial conferences leading up to the party’s national conference have been marred with violence and disputes over results.

Mantashe said some members were distorting politics as politics “is about tolerance”.

He talked about the party’s presidential race which include candidates such as Ramaphosa, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Zweli Mkhize, Baleka Mbete and Lindiwe Sisulu.

“If a sitting deputy president, cannot take over from the incumbent, the ANC is owed an explanation so that the organisation can be at peace with itself. There’s a theory of a woman president. That’s strange. We want a president of the ANC, male or female,” Mantashe said.

He said those who choose to elect someone else instead of the deputy president should provide details of what wrong has the deputy president done.

Mantashe said the current leadership has a responsibility to manage succession.

“We can’t have accidental leadership succession as a 105-year-old organisation. When succession is not managed properly, results become disastrous. If president Zuma, for example, refuses to handover to DP (Ramaphosa), we will have a crisis. Let us find a woman to be DP, for succession to be managed. I put this as an idea, branches must debate this idea,” he said.

If Pres Zuma, with experience, refuses to handover to DP, we will be in a crisis. Let us find a woman to be DP, for succession to be managed

— Gwede Mantashe (@GwedeMantashe1) October 10, 2017

ANC must seek to represent the interests & aspirations of the vast majority of society. #ORTambo

— Gwede Mantashe (@GwedeMantashe1) October 10, 2017