PEC approves final election candidate list
Deputy provincial chairperson Florence Radzilani's name only came in at position 23, while Public Works MEC Nkakareng Rakgoale did not feature in the top six names.
POLOKWANE – No objections made when the ANC’s Provincial List Committee (PLC) presented the final top 20 candidates deemed fit to represent the organisation at the 2024 provincial and national election.
This means all Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) members approved of the list during a meeting held at Bolivia Lodge on Friday, where Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba’s name is said to have topped the list with more than 390 branch nominations for the position of provincial chairperson and ultimately, next premier.
She also led the pack during nomination processes, despite a credible regional leader privy to PEC meetings earlier saying that she had been rejected within certain ranks.
An aggrieved group earlier approached ANC provincial secretary, Reuben Madadzhe through a lawyers’ letter, alluding that the 2024 ANC candidate nominations in the province were riddled with gross irregularities, manipulations, and, to some extent, fraud. It also demanded that he appoint an independent forensic firm to audit the nomination lists from all branches that successfully held nomination BGMs.
The letter was later withdrawn without an explanation, Madadzhe and spokesperson Jimmy Machaka confirmed. Machaka also denied there ever being aggrieved executive members or a manipulated list, saying the allegations were “false and fabricated”.
Written ANC provincial and regional executive guidelines for nomination conferences state that branches may nominate one individual for each of the five top positions of chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary, deputy secretary and treasurer.
“Nominators should motivate reasons, be open for a short debate, and the members must through a show of hands, vote in support of that person, and the nominee must garner 50% +1 of the votes. For a nominee to be considered and added to the nomination list of the branch, it must be supported by at least 10% of branch members present at the meeting. The name with the highest number of votes, becomes the branch nomination and is written on the branch nomination form for each position and forwarded to the PLC.”
Deputy provincial chairperson Florence Radzilani’s name only came in at position 23, while another early frontrunner, Public Works MEC Nkakareng Rakgoale did not feature in the top six names for the positions of chairperson, deputy chairperson, provincial secretary, deputy provincial secretary and treasurer.
Following on Ramathuba’s heels at the weekend were Nakedi Kekana with 372 branch nominations, Thabo Mokone (322), Matibe Tshitereke (316), Tonny Rachuene (302) and Bella Kupa (247).
