ANC to announce results of heated Eastern Cape conference on Monday

Following a weekend marred by a number of issues, the fate of the African National Congress (ANC) Chairperson position in the Eastern Cape lies in the hands of nearly 1,500 delegates at the party’s provincial elective conference.

The battle was between the current convener, Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane and former provincial treasurer Babalo Madikizela.

The ANC is expected to announce results from the internal polls on Monday afternoon.

A court application, threats to collapse the sitting and a deadlock over credentials saw the conference only nominating candidates late on the third day of the conference.

The provincial conference was heading for collapse as members could not agree on the credentials for the meeting to proceed.

ALSO READ: ANC Eastern Cape conference experiences disruptions over credentials

ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe said the governing party needed to be thorough during the process of credentials.

“We don’t come to conferences only to vote. There’s a build-up to every conference. [On the matter of credentials], we need to be thorough. The ANC can’t put itself under pressure to adopt credentials only to come and make soundbites to the media because when it does that it loses that rigorousness that it requires to be able to drive its own processes forward.”

Eventually, about 1,497 delegates voted just after midnight to decide who will be the next top five of the ANC in the Eastern Cape.

The conference outcomes are expected to determine whether President Cyril Ramaphosa has a good chance of winning a second term in December at the five-year ANC electoral conference.

It also serves to determine the strength of both Lindiwe Sisulu and Zweli Mkhize, who are expected to contest the ANC presidency.

Madikizela is aligned with disgraced former health minister Mkhize and Jacob Zuma’s right hand in the province, Mlibo Qoboshiyane, joined forces against Ramaphosa’s main backer Mabuyane, who is ANC provincial task team convenor.

The duo’s common mission is to defeat Mabuyane and derail Ramaphosa’s hope of a second term.

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa will close the elective conference on Monday after the results are announced.

ALSO READ: Mabuyane welcomes court ruling as race for ANC chair heats up at Eastern Cape conference