Voting for ANC top leadership finally kicks off

After more than five hours of waiting, voting for the ANC top seven leaders has finally begun and party spokesperson Pule Mabe said he was still hopeful the results will be released on Sunday night.

According to a schedule released on Saturday, voting was supposed to start at 9am on Sunday. But by 2pm  it still had not started as party officials frantically moved to prepare the ballots.

This year’s elective conference produced a high number of nominees from the floor — four in number — who all needed to be vetted and put on the ballot papers.

These are Tina Joemat-Pettersson for first deputy secretary-general, Maropene Ramokgopa and Ronalda Nalumango for second deputy secretary-general and Gwen Ramokgopa for treasurer-general.

“We still hope to have the results of officials late today,” said Mabe. But he said there was no cut-off time. Each province gets an allocated time to vote, he said.

Several sources polled by Business Day said the race was too tight to call, with one provincial leader, who declined to be named, saying it might come out  55%-45% for Ramaphosa.

Here is a list of all the candidates:

President:

• ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa; and
• ANC national executive committee (NEC) member Zweli Mkhize. 

Deputy president:

• ANC treasurer-general and acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile;
• ANC NEC member and justice minister Ronald Lamola; and
• Eastern Cape premier and ANC provincial chair Oscar Mabuyane.

National chairperson:

• Limpopo premier and ANC provincial chair Stanley Mathabatha;
• ANC national chair and minister of mineral resources and energy Gwede Mantashe;
• ANC NEC member and deputy finance minister David Masondo.

Secretary-general:

• Former KwaZulu-Natal ANC secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli;
• Former Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle; and
• ANC head of elections and transport minister Fikile Mbalula.

1st deputy secretary-general:

• ANC NEC member and the party’s national head of organising Nomvula Mokonyane;
• ANC MP and NEC member Tina Joemat-Pettersson.

2nd deputy secretary-general:

• ANCWL national co-ordinator Maropene Ramokgopa; and
• ANC member Ronalda Nalumango.

Treasurer-general:

• ANC member and Ramaphosa’s special adviser Bejani Chauke;
• ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe;
• ANC Ekurhuleni regional chairperson and former mayor Mzwandile Masina; and
• ANC NEC and NWC member Gwen Ramokgopa