/ 6 December 2007

Key ANC figures may face cold shoulder

Some of the most respected figures in the African National Congress (ANC) could be excluded from the party’s national executive committee (NEC) should deputy president Jacob Zuma win the race for the ANC presidency, the Financial Mail reported on Thursday.

These figures include ANC strategist and head of policy in the Presidency, Joel Netshitenzhe and respected ANC leaders Pallo Jordan and Zola Skweyiya.

The report said most serving Cabinet ministers were excluded from the current version of Zuma’s list, while others were placed low on the list, raising fears that they may not get enough votes to make it on to the NEC.

Two mooted developments may make it more difficult for experienced leadership to be elected — a proposal to raise the quota of female members and the Congress of South African Trade Union’s request to have more trade unionists and communists on the list.

Gender parity may have the effect of ”sacrificing” men near the bottom of the list, the report said.

Polarisation

Due to the extreme polarisation of the ANC, it was not known whether branch delegates would stick to the lists circulated by the Zuma and Mbeki factions, or whether they would vote for more ”rational” choices, the report said.

Jordan, one of the ANC’s most respected intellectuals, was low down on the Zuma list.

”There’s no evidence that in the past people’s preferences were determined by lists. But it might happen that this time, because of the polarisation, people might vote for lists,” he told the Financial Mail.

Other seasoned ANC leaders expressed more concern.

”As things stand, someone like Joel might not get in. With the 50% quota for women coming in, you could find some problematic exclusions. Both lists are quite weak with some odd people included,” said an ANC MP.

Netshitenzhe’s name was removed from the provincial nomination list in KwaZulu-Natal and former and serving premiers Manne Dipico and Dipuo Peters from that of the Northern Cape, the report said.

Mbhazima Shilowa, who has aligned himself with Mbeki, also occupied a lowly position on Zuma’s early list.

He warned against a ”short-sighted approach to exclusions”, but added: ”If I am one of those, I won’t feel disheartened. At least I took a stand.”

Shilowa also warned those ”who think they are in the ascendancy” not to take their victories for granted by refusing to engage in horse-trading over the NEC.

Even if individuals such as Netshitenzhe and Jordan make it onto the NEC, it was clear that a long list of the incumbents — many of them Cabinet ministers — would not, the report said. – Sapa