The race to the ANC’s internal leadership in December gathers steam this week with the party’s leadership in KwaZulu-Natal expected to announce who it wants to lead the party for the next five years.
KwaZulu-Natal is the ANC’s largest province in terms of membership and will send 819 of the more than 4,000 delegates to the national elective conference. Securing support from the province, which has 136,267 members, is crucial for any candidate for a national leadership position come December.
KwaZulu-Natal walked away from the last ANC conference in 2017 after its preferred candidate, co-operative governance & traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, lost to President Cyril Ramaphosa. The two are again competing for the top position, Dlamini-Zuma having received the endorsement of the eThekwini region earlier in September.
Ramaphosa has been endorsed by six of the ANC’s nine provinces. Nominations began in September and will close in early October.
Unlike other provinces, KwaZulu-Natal’s leadership has kept its cards close to the chest on who it will back for the top six national positions. Provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo told Business Day that the leadership is to pronounce on its preferred candidates after branches in the 11 regions have submitted their lists of candidates.
“I cannot comment on the final list, or the names, but I can confirm that announcements will be made on Tuesday in keeping with the provincial executive committee decision that the branches must take the decisions,” Mtolo said.
Business Day spoke to nine regional leaders in the province who said the branch nominations have so far backed former health minister Zweli Mkhize as the new ANC president, with ANC treasurer general Paul Mashatile as deputy president.
Deputy minister for public enterprises Phumulo Masualle was mentioned as a possible candidate for secretary-general, ANC head of organising Nomvula Mokonyane as deputy secretary-general and Limpopo premier Stan Mathabatha as chair.
Corruption scandal
The ANC’s biggest region in KwaZulu-Natal — eThekwini — has 111 branches and has been at the forefront of the campaign for Mkhize, who resigned as health minister in 2021 during the Digital Vibes corruption scandal. He has remained a member of the national executive committee and has challenged the Special Investigating Unit’s report on the scandal.
On Sunday, Madanga Xulu, secretary of the province’s second-biggest region, Musa Dladla, said it supports all the names put forward, including Mkhize as the presidential candidate.
“The regional executive was unanimous on their choice and we are united in the proposed names. There may be one or two branches that have a different view while others have abstained, but we are going with the majority,” he added.
The Mzala Nxumalo region, the third-largest, is “all the way behind Mkhize”, regional secretary Ntokozo Nxumalo said.
The Nokuhamba Nyawo region, the fourth-largest, has the same list as the other branches, with Mkhize and Mashatile for president and deputy president, according to deputy secretary Khonzani Mthembu. The Moses Mabidha region has also endorsed Mkhize.
In the General Gizenga Mpanza (KwaDukuza) region former premier Sihle Zikhalala is a known supporter of President Cyril Ramaphosa. He told Business Day consultations there are in keeping with those in the other regions. “We agree with the common list and support comrade Mkhize for president,” branch leaders said.
The pattern emerging in KwaZulu-Natal differs from that in Gauteng and Limpopo which have formalised a joint position to support the re-election of Ramaphosa as president, Mashatile for deputy president, Mokonyane for deputy secretary-general and Mathabatha for national chairperson.
However, the leadership of Limpopo and Gauteng has not reached a conclusion on who to support for secretary-general or treasurer-general.
“We left out pronouncing on the other two positions so that we can lobby other provinces on candidates and to allow ourselves to be lobbied,” Gauteng ANC spokesperson Lesego Makhubela said.
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