Though it is not for the first time in the history of the ANC that there is a leadership contest, it is true that we have not seen such a fierce contest in recent history. The ANC is a democratic organisation and this contest is a manifestation of democracy and, of course, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma tells the Mail & Guradian’s Mandy Rossouw.
What are your thoughts on the leadership contest in the ANC, given that the party for the first time has two contenders for the position?
Though it is not for the first time in the history of the ANC that there is a leadership contest, it is true that we have not seen such a fierce contest in recent history. The ANC is a democratic organisation and this contest is a manifestation of democracy and, of course, it is not usual for the president and deputy president to contest. The public debate and the media interest have been unprecedented.
The issue of gender parity and a possible female president have featured in the leadership contest. What are your thoughts about this? And do you feel it has been served by the choice of the ANC Women’s League not to nominate a woman for the presidency?
Gender parity was adopted at the national general council and at the policy conference. The women’s league called for a woman in the presidency and lobbied for it. As a result of the lobby some of the branches nominated a woman for the deputy president position. The women’s league did not nominate a woman — that is the reality of that democratic process. The struggle for women’s emancipation is a long and difficult one. It did not start with Polokwane and it will continue for generations.
What are the characteristics you feel the ANC leader needs at this point?
The president is the public face of the organisation. It should be a person who embodies the values, principles and discipline of our organisation. It should be a person who will be able to bring together all the different tendencies in the organisation and South Africans in general.
Why did you decide to decline the nomination for national chair-person, but accept the one for deputy president?
I decided to accept the nomination for the deputy president because, as a matter of principle, we have to assert ourselves as women and fight for our right to stand in any position as part of the fight against patriarchy.
What should be the mindset of the delegates coming to the Polo-kwane conference?
The delegates at the Polokwane conference should put the interests of the people of the country and the ANC as a whole [at the forefront]. The policies they adopt should strengthen our democracy and help to address the challenges that South Africa is faced with nationally and globally. They should elect a leadership collective that will then be able to implement those policies.
What practical steps are needed to be taken post-Polokwane to ensure that everyone unites behind the new leader of the party?
The leadership should inspire and engage the totality of the structures in the movement, the provinces, the alliance partners, the leagues and the people in general. We should be united behind the newly elected leadership collective as we prepare for the national elections in 2009 and for the centenary of the ANC in 2012.