ANC national chair Baleka Mbete — PICTURE: LULAMILE FENI
National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete’s ambitions to take over as ANC president next year received a major boost at the weekend when her amaHlubi tribe hosted a traditional ceremony in her honour in Mqanduli, south of Mthatha.
Western Cape amaHlubi chief Victor Sibenya said the tribe had discussed Mbete’s presidential ambitions with her, but she had made it clear she needed the support of her family before embarking on any campaign.
Sibenya said Mbete “wanted to start with her family, her tribe and all amaHlubi to give her blessings”.
Sibenya was one of several amaHlubi traditional leaders who attended the traditional ceremony held at Mbete’s Gumatana village in Mqanduli on Saturday.
Mbete has chosen the Eastern Cape as the launch pad of her presidential campaign, which started with an ANC ward in Mqanduli being named after her on Friday.
It is unusual for ANC wards to be named after living leaders, observers say.
Her campaign has been active behind the scenes but has failed to gain traction so far.
Mbete has always had presidential ambitions.
She refused to be sworn in as a member of parliament in 2009 when it became clear that Jacob Zuma would choose Kgalema Motlanthe as his deputy.
She served as deputy president when Motlanthe was made president following the recall of former president Thabo Mbeki.
Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders chief Thanduxolo Magadla led the Hlubi tribe as they blessed Mbete.
“We are here to plead with the ancestors to be with her all the way as she is preparing for her presidential campaign,” Magadla said.
Mbete confirmed on Friday that several senior ANC leaders had asked her to stand as Zuma's successor.
She would not confirm whether she would do so, also downplaying the significance of the ceremony held the next day.
Mbete said she was in no position to pronounce her availability for the presidential race as the issue was not yet open for discussion within the party.
“No pronouncement could therefore be made by anyone,” she said.
“I am a devout member of the organisation.
“If the organisation says that it is not on the table, [then] it is not on the agenda.
“Let us wait until that time has come to answer your question. There are many people [who have approached me].
“But I will respond when the time for that comes,” Mbete said.
If true, Mbete is likely to face Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who confirmed a few weeks ago that she would not be seeking a second term as African Union commission chairwoman, and deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa.
Dlamini-Zuma is reportedly the trump card of the premier league, which comprises ANC provincial chairmen.
These include Free State’s Ace Magashule, Mpumalanga’s David Mabuza and North West’s Supra Mahomapelo.
The group was reportedly central to the outcome of the recent ANC Women’s League and Youth League conferences in which Bathabile Dlamini and Collen Maine were elected, respectively.
At least four traditional leaders and family members who attended Saturday’s ceremony confirmed it was an open secret that the ceremony had been organised to bless Mbete.
Mbete said the ANC was more than ready to have a woman president.
This article first appeared in The Herald
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