Gauteng ANC back the top six
The succession debate continues to simmer, even though it’s technically years away, but the Gauteng ANC have given notice that the debate is premature.Gauteng ANC secretary David Makhura yesterday warned party organisations that "any preoccupation with leadership discussions for conferences that are still far away" could derail the organisation's and the government's programmes, The Times reportsHe was reacting to reports that the ANC Youth League is lobbying to have ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe replaced by Deputy Police Minister Fikile Mbalula at the ruling party's next national conference, in 2012.There have also been reports that a number of ANC personalities were working behind the scenes for radical changes in the membership of the ANC's "Top 6".Makhura said the ANC in Gauteng "will continue to offer full and qualified support to the leadership collective [the Top 6]" of Mantashe, President Jacob Zuma, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, deputy secretary-general Thandi Modise, national chairwoman Baleka Mbete and Treasurer-General Mathews Phosa.He said a meeting of provincial ANC leaders on Monday called on party organisations in the province not to enter the row over whether Mbalula should replace Mantashe."We can only review their performance at the next national conference, in 2012," he said.Party organisations, he said, should focus their energies on tackling the service-delivery problems that have led to protests in recent months.
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