ANC confident North West list conference won’t impact on national process

Eight hundred names have already been put forward for ANC candidates to head to the National Assembly.

However, speaking to Eyewitness News on Friday, ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte said that the party would end up placing the top 25%, which is about 200 nominees, on the party’s list for Parliament, and then discuss where the remaining candidates will be placed.

#ANClist ANC deputy Secretary General Jesse Duarte says there are already 800 names that have been put forward for Parliament but they’ll probably end it at 200 and then discuss which positions the remaining members will be placed in. ZN pic.twitter.com/GG9seMvdMZ

— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) January 4, 2019

The party is currently holding its national list conference in Durban to decide who it will send to Parliament and the various legislatures after the national elections. The conference is expected to end on Saturday.

READ MORE: The ANC must take the list process seriously or it will be punished at the polls

All the provinces have concluded their provincial list conferences except the North West.

The North West is holding its provincial conference on Saturday, but Duarte said the party did not think it would affect the national list process. She said the provincial conference would deal mainly with who goes to legislature. 

#ANClist [WATCH]ANC DSG Jesse Duarte says the fact that the North West is only hosting its provincial conference tomorrow will only marginally affect the current national list which is being discussed now.She says NW conference will mainly deal with who goes to legislature.ZN pic.twitter.com/mtCXjIUSOU

— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) January 4, 2019

On Wednesday, the North West postponed its provincial list conference for the second time. The initial list conference, which was meant to take place in December, was postponed after it was marred by violence that left some delegates injured.

eNCA reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa and other key ANC national executive committee (NEC) members are attending this weekend’s conference. Former president Jacob Zuma is also in Durban. 

READ MORE: ANC parly list is not ‘cast in stone’

After the list conference is concluded an ordinary NEC meeting, where the January 8th statement is likely to be discussed, is expected to be held. — News24

On Thursday, the ANC said it would transport tens of thousands of its members in more than 1 300 buses to Durban for the party’s manifesto launch and January 8th celebration, which take place on January 12, reported News24.

ANC elections head Fikile Mbalula said the event would be a “humdinger”.

“Primarily, people from KZN will attend, but others from across the provinces will also descend on Durban. We are ready for the manifesto and have done a lot of consultation on it.”