Cameron Dugmore and Ebrahim Rasool. (Photos: Brenton Geach/Gallo Images) 
Former Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool looks set to return to active politics as the ANC in the Western Cape is sending his name to the list of candidates to stand for the National Assembly.
Daily Maverick has seen the list that Theewaterskloof Municipality Speaker and ANC provincial treasurer Derek Appel leads. Cameron Dugmore who has been the leader of the opposition in the provincial legislature is also among the names suggested for moving to the national parliament.
The list includes Thandi Manikivana, Wendy Plaatjies, Sharon Davids, Major Sokopo, Mathilda Bains, Boy Manqoba and Bheki Hadebe.
Rasool was recalled as premier following the watershed 2007 Polokwane conference where Jacob Zuma was elected to lead the organisation. Allegations surfaced in 2005 that Rasool was colluding with journalists who wrote favourable articles about him — which played a part in his removal.
Rasool, who has represented the ANC in parliament before, served as ambassador to the United States between 2010 and 2015.
Read more about Rasool and the ANC campaigns in previous elections here: Ebrahim Rasool returns as ANC gets serious about reclaiming Western Cape
Ayanda Bans, deputy secretary of the party, leads the 15-member list of province-to-province candidates followed by Rachel Windvogel, Benson Ngqentsu, Khalid Sayed and Pat Lekker.
The ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) is expected to make an announcement on its candidate list following deliberations that lasted until the early hours of Friday.
The deadline to submit lists to the IEC is 5pm.
Read more in Daily Maverick: ANC’s Gigaba, Mahlobo, Kodwa, and Frolick recommended for Parliamentary list chop amid NEC objections
Surprisingly, provincial chairperson JJ Tyhalisisu does not appear on either the provincial to national parliament list or the list for provincial legislature representatives.
Dugmore declined to confirm that he and Rasool form part of the list, saying he could not comment on the party lists until the ANC has made them public.
While ranked number four on the provincial list, Sayed is being touted as the party's premier candidate. Daily Maverick understands that various civil societies that are aligned with the ANC have requested the national leadership to consider Sayed as the face of the Western Cape campaign. In the previous elections in 2019, for ANC leader in the City of Cape Town council, Xolani Sotashe was the premier candidate.
Fading fortunes
Overall, ANC support has been dipping — in the last national elections in the Western Cape in 2019, the ANC garnered just more than 28% of the vote — down from a high of 45.2% in 2004. The majority party, the DA attained 55.45% in the previous national and provincial elections in 2019.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Middle East crisis news hub
The party is expected to depend heavily on International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor in its campaign in Cape Town as it explores ways to attract voters. Pandor is popular in the Cape Town Muslim community and her relentless fight for a cease-fire in Gaza has boosted her support in the province that is led by the DA, which is not pro-Palestine.
Read more in Daily Maverick: ANC’s Pandor pledges party support to push pro-Palestine agenda at Lenasia event
Immediate attempts to get comment from Rasool were unsuccessful. DM