Dlamini-Zuma is going toe-to-toe with Cyril Ramaphosa for the leadership
ANC Elective Conference Explained: Here’s how it will work in December
You may know the ANC elective conference is taking place in December, but do you know how it actually works? Let us explain.
Dlamini-Zuma is going toe-to-toe with Cyril Ramaphosa for the leadership
The 2017 ANC Elective conference is tipped to be one of the most important meetings throughout the entirety of the party’s existence. With the conference taking place from the 16th to 20th of December, many believe the outcome will determine if the ANC survives beyond the next two election cycles.
Alright, so we know the ANC uses the conference to elect a new president, let’s look at who decides and how.
How does the ANC elective conference work?
Thousands of ANC branches (and their members) from across the country will come together in Gauteng for the conference. Each branch gets not nominate a specific candidate and then voting will take place at some point between the 16th and 20th of December
ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe has explained that the party is working on a new system to nominate party leaders. He provided a bit of insight into how different ANC branches nominate leaders for certain positions, President or Secretary General etc.
“There will be an electoral commission to say when branches nominate, they must seal the envelope and hand it over to a central place. If we don’t do that, we will have a nomination by slates.”
This year’s conference will involve 90 percent of delegates coming from the various branches. This new system is set to help remove power from regional and provincial leaders who influence who the province chooses.
Who are the main candidates at the ANC Elective Conference?
While Secretary General, the rest of the “top 6” and NEC positions are all up for grabs, all eyes are on the presidential race.
Whoever replaces Jacob Zuma as president of the ANC, is most likely to become President of South Africa after the 2019 elections. Current Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa is the current favourite but will have stiff competition from Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
While not everyone is a “fan” of Ramaphosa many have labelled him the “last hope” for a shift away from corruption in the ANC. Dlamini-Zuma on the other hand, is described as the “more of the same” candidate. Rumour’s of her looking to pardon Jacob Zuma for his “crimes” and a close association with SASA crisis-in-chief Bathabile Dlamini have done nothing to help her case.
Outside Presidential candidates include Minister of Human Settlements Lindiwe Sisulu, former Treasurer General Mathew Phosa and even current National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete. While these are unlikely to get big shares of the vote, some reports claim that Ramaphosa’s team are looking to have Sisulu as a potential Deputy President.
—
So, while Ramaphosa is the most likely at this stage, anything can happen in the next few months, especially when Jacob Zuma and possibly the Gupta’s are on your side too.
Tags:
