ANC leadership: Contenders for top six to be announced next week

African National Congress (ANC) Treasurer-General Paul Mashatile has confirmed that South Africans will find out next week who the leading contenders for the top six positions for the party are, ahead of the elective conference.

Monday was the official deadline for ANC branches to conclude their nominations ahead of the governing party’s 55th national elective conference next month.

Nominations

Mashatile who is the leading candidate to replace David Mabuza as the ANC’s deputy president told SAfm that the ANC has given all branches an opportunity to submit their nominations.

He said they have reached a more than 80% threshold for branches that have held their general meetings.

This gives the party the green light to hold its 55th national conference from 16 to 20 December in Nasrec, Johannesburg.

“By Monday this week, we were sitting above 82% of branches that have now gone through successfully. We will count them (nominations) hoping to get to 86/88% which we think is a good number to now proceed to conference.”

“Because all we require is 70% of branches in good standing, sitting above 80%, I think is now good enough,” Mashatile said.

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Mashatile said once all the branches are consolidated, the ANC will make an announcement.

“The Constitution of the ANC says for you to be on the ballot, you must at least get a nomination of one province, we count nine provinces plus the three leagues. Essentially you will know properly in a week’s time the official nominations because of the consolidations that is going to take place.”

Candidates

While several candidates are hoping to be nominated and elected for the highly contested presidency of the ANC, President Cyril Ramaphosa and former health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize appear to be the leading candidates vying for the top position with mining magnate Patrice Motsepe also thrown in the mix.

An ANC branch in Maandagshoek outside the mining town of Burgersfort in Limpopo nominated Motsepe for the party’s top job.

Other challengers

Other challengers include Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Lindiwe Sisulu, who will be seeking to deprive Ramaphosa of his second term bid as ANC president.

Disputes

Mashatile said there is always an anticipation that the nomination process would be disputed or legally challenged.

“We did about forty regional conferences and about seven provincial conferences and in the cause of them, we were taken to court a number of times. What we do from the secretary general’s office is to makes sure we follow the rules.”

Mashatile said he is ready to serve the people if he is nominated to lead the ANC.  

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