THE ANC in KZN has intensified the succession battle for the party’s top post with the nomination of Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as its Presidential candidate.
At the party’s two-day Provincial General Council held in Durban, most branches in the province nominated Dlamini-Zuma in what has become a two-horse race between and her and main contender Cyril Ramaphosa.
Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza was nominated as Deputy President, Ace Magashule as Secretary-General, Jessie Duarte as Deputy Secretary General, Nathi Mthethwa as National Chairperson and Nomvula Mokonyane as Treasurer General.
Ramaphosa has been nominated for the ANC’s top job by five provinces – Gauteng, Limpopo, Western Cape, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape – while KZN, North West Province, Free State and Mpumalanga nominated Dlamini-Zuma.
According to the ANC’s branch nominations list, Ramaphosa is leading the race with 1 860 votes against Dlamini-Zuma’s 1 549.
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Meanwhile, the ANC in KZN has dismissed media reports suggesting that its Provincial Chairperson Sihle Zikalala had rejected a call by Mpumalanga Chairperson David Mabuza to foster unity in the party.
‘These reports are a deliberate distortion and a well calculated attempt to create mistrust and drive a wedge between Cde Zikalala and Cde Mabuza,’ said ANC provincial spokesperson Mdumiseni Ntuli.
‘When Zikalala delivered his political report during the ANC’s Special General Council, he never undermined the importance of unity, but came out strongly as one of its chief proponents.
‘He even stressed that for unity’s sake, those who do not make it to the position of President should be included as additional members.
‘Zikalala said unity should be pure and not be an exercise of replacing leading candidates, adding that there were those who said both Dlamini-Zuma and Ramaphosa should be put aside for the sake of unity and that someone else be nominated.’
In a week’s time the party will gather in Nasrec, Gauteng to elect a new leader to succeed President Zuma.
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