Voting is under way at the ANC’s North West conference, where more than 700 delegates are due to elect the province’s new leadership.
By the time delegates nominated candidates for the provincial executive committee on Saturday, the four slates that had been doing rounds prior to the conference had been reduced to two, after extensive horse-trading.
The new agreements will now see former provincial secretary Supra Mahumapelo going up against businessman Mmoloki Pheelwane for the chairperson position. Mahumapelo was initially seeking re-election for the provincial secretary position he held before his provincial executive committee was disbanded in 2009.
Standing for election as Mahumapelo’s deputy is former Matlosana mayor China Dodovu, who contested in a rival camp at the 2008 Sun City conference. Dodovu is up against Moeti Moilwa, who is seen as less popular.
ANC Youth League national executive committee member Kabelo Mataboge is in Mahumapelo’s camp as a provincial secretary candidate, against South African Communist Party executive committee member Zakes Molale. Former provincial chairperson Nono Maloyi — currently the speaker of the provincial legislature — has fallen off the list as sacrifices had to be made to form strong alliances.
Fractured support
Support for potential leaders was fractured at the beginning of the conference, with four groups bringing their preferred candidates to the conference. The list led by Pheelwane is said to be favoured by the outgoing task team, while the one led by Mahumapelo sympathised with the former provincial leadership.
The North West ANC has been led by a provincial task team for the past 17 months, after the former provincial leadership was disbanded by Luthuli House.
Motlanthe: Do away with slates
ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe called on delegates to elect leaders with proper leadership qualities and cautioned them against being misled by slates.
“We must also try to do away with slates because we know who our leaders are. If we rely on slates we virtually take away the delegates’ democratic right to elect their own leaders,” he told delegates.
He also slammed potential leaders who canvassed votes from members in the build-up to conferences. “You must be nominated and elected by members without canvassing their vote”.
The North West conference has been surprisingly orderly compared to the violent 2008 conference held at Sun City and some regional conferences run by the task team as a lead-up to this weekend’s conference.
An announcement of the election results for the top five leadership: chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary, deputy secretary and treasurer, is expected late on Saturday night. Additional members of the provincial executive committee will be elected on Sunday.