Fierce debate over policy is expected at the ANC’s national conference, including on the matter of a new voting system introduced by the party’s electoral committee, led by former SA president Kgalema Motlanthe.

The new voting system has been a bone of contention for some senior ANC members because it changes how leadership is voted in. Unlike at previous conferences, the party will first elect a new president, secretary-general, national chair and treasurer-general.

Only after that will the rest of the Top Six be ­voted in.

The system was introduced by the electoral committee to ensure that slate campaigns are dismantled.

It means that candidates who lose out in the votes for the first four positions can mobilise support to be elected as deputy president or deputy secretary-general.

“The purpose of this is to give delegates the opportunity to promote unity and move away from a winner-takes-all approach. Voting for the second ballot, once results are known for the first ballot, will also sharpen the awareness of delegates of imbalances among the Top Six in terms of gender, age [and] national groups,” according to an electoral committee document.

It might even create a new opportunity for former health minister Zweli Mkhize if he fails to defeat Cyril Ramaphosa, the incumbent, for the presidency.

Some party insiders reckon that he is positioning himself for that scenario, a move that would see him compete with outgoing treasurer-general Paul Masha­­tile for the deputy presidency.

Interest in the deputy presidency is tremendous this time around, with more than five names being bandied about.

Mashatile has, however, enjoyed the support of eight provincial executives and has been met with excitement from members wherever he has campaigned over the past few months.

For now, he leads the race for the deputy presidency, with Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola coming in with the second-largest number of nominations. ANC Eastern Cape chair Oscar Mabuyane is in third place.

South Africans will know by the end of the weekend whether Ramaphosa will get a second term. The party’s national conference started on 16 December and will conclude on 20 December.

Delegates will vote in 80 new members of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), the highest decision-making body of the ANC between conferences.

For now, it is clear that former Women’s League leader Bathabile Dlamini has been disqualified from being re-elected to the NEC because she was recently criminally charged.

Eastern Cape provincial executive member Andile Lungisa will also not be able to stand because he has been suspended.

Lungisa has lodged an appeal with the party’s national conference against his suspension by the national disciplinary committee. The appeal follows the dismissal on 15 December of his high court bid to have a two-year suspension set aside.

However, Tony Yengeni managed to get his disqualification, because of his previous fraud conviction, overturned by the electoral committee.

ANC delegates on the second day the party’s 55th national conference at Nasrec in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 17 December 2022. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

Where provinces stand

The ANC nomination lists have provided a picture of the direction that branches want to take, but this could change as last-minute meetings are held in between official conference proceedings.

The Eastern Cape, the Northern Cape, the Western Cape, North West and Mpumalanga have made a number of pronouncements endorsing Ramaphosa. The nominations in those provinces account for at least half of his support.

In Gauteng, the situation seems to have changed. Branches in the province have started showing signs of division as the pro-Mkhize camp begins to grow.

At the provincial general council recently, Gauteng chair Panyaza Lesufi made it clear that the party supports the election of Mashatile as deputy president and Nomvula Mokonyane as deputy secretary-general.

Although the Gauteng provincial executive committee (PEC) had endorsed Ramaphosa, Lesufi seemed to be backtracking.

Lesufi spoke negatively about the party’s NEC, saying it had not fulfilled its duties. He did not spare Ramaphosa, taking a veiled swipe at the party leader for the allegations he faces in relation to the burglary at his Phala Phala farm.

Limpopo has had a united front all year and was one of the first provinces to declare its support for Ramaphosa. The province had formed a strong alliance with KwaZulu-Natal, although the two provinces were on opposite ends of the spectrum about their preferred candidate to lead the party.

Siboniso Duma and former president Jacob Zuma have a chat at Nasrec on 16 December 2022. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla/Daily Maverick)

The KwaZulu-Natal branches and PEC support Mkhize for the presidency.

In the past few weeks Limpopo’s support has shifted, after national chair hopeful Stan Mathabatha, the ANC chair in Limpopo, started toying with the idea of partnering with Mkhize.

DM168 understands that discussions about this were initiated by Mkhize supporters but were rejected by the pro-Ramaphosa camp in the province.

Now Mathabatha finds himself in a difficult situation in which the support from his home province could be split in two and scupper his chances of being elected.

Nominations from the floor

NEC members Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Lindiwe Sisulu have not managed to garner enough support to challenge Ramaphosa. Current deputy president David Mabuza is also not in the running for now.

The ANC’s head of economic transformation, Water and Sanitation Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, failed to make the cut for second-in-command, and the coordinator in the ANC’s secretary-general’s office, Gwen Ramokgopa, was not nominated by branches for deputy secretary-general.

Embattled former president Jacob Zuma was unable to rally enough support to be in the running for national chair.

However, not all is lost for these hopefuls as most of them have expressed their willingness to accept nomination from the floor at the conference.

The ANC electoral committee rules state that each province has two opportunities to nominate a candidate from the floor.

Speaking to DM168, Ramokgopa implied that she would be nominated by the Women’s League.

“I am really humbled by the nominations, I thank those who have nominated me. There are … a few nominations [for] deputy president, national chair; maybe a significant number [for] secretary-general and deputy secretary-general.

Gwen Ramokgopa, Cde Paul Mashatile and Pule Mabe during site inspection at Nasrec as part of the preparations for the ANC 55th National Conference on 9 November in Johannesburg. The conference will take part from 16 to 20 December. (Photo: Gallo) Images/Luba Lesolle)

“The nomination made by the Women’s League is that of treasurer-general and I have accepted that nomination of the Women’s League. However, because of how the league has processed that, it was not treated as a province but as a branch. That is why the name was not on the ballot. However, they have the opportunity to raise it from the floor,” she said.

Meanwhile, Dlamini Zuma took to social media to give clarity about the state of her campaign. This came after she was served with a letter from treasurer-general Mashatile on behalf of the secretary-general’s office, just a day before the conference, stating that she had contravened the party’s constitution.

She is one of four ANC MPs who failed to vote along party lines in Parliament at the recent debate on the adoption of the Section 89 independent panel report on Phala Phala.

“Good morning Comrades, I wish to assure you that the communication I received from the acting secretary-general of the ANC does not affect my ability to stand. If nominated by branches of the ANC, I am still allowed to stand … and I will avail myself,” Dlamini Zuma said on Twitter on the morning the conference began.

Politricks

In a last-ditch effort to scupper Ramaphosa’s re-election, the Jacob Zuma Foundation has launched a private prosecution against the president in the Johannesburg High Court.

The foundation alleges that Ramaphosa acted as an accessory after the fact in the alleged crimes committed by, among others, Advocate Billy Downer. Without giving away too much information, the foundation claims that Ramaphosa violated the National Prosecuting Authority Act.

“The serious crimes for which Mr Ramaphosa has been charged with in a court of law carry the sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment. The private prosecution has been duly instituted by H.E. President JG Zuma in the Johannesburg High Court where the accused person will make his first appearance on 19 January 2023,” the statement reads.

The Presidency issued a response saying that Zuma was abusing legal processes.

“In accordance with the Criminal Procedure Act, a private prosecution can only be instituted after the individual prosecuting has obtained a certificate of non-prosecution. The certificate serves as a legal confirmation that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will not proceed with the prosecution following its consideration of the charges,” the Presidency said in a statement on 16 December.

The ANC electoral committee rules state that anyone who has been criminally charged cannot contest any leadership position. However, when asked about what this might mean for Ramaphosa, party spokesperson Pule Mabe would not be drawn on the matter. DM168

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R25.