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/ 27 January 2008

If it has chosen badly the ruling party will cleanse itself

Is it our business as journalists to pronounce on who is best placed to lead the ANC? If you look at some of the personalities in the party’s new leadership, such as unrepentant convicted fraudster Tony Yengeni, or former Mpumalanga health minister Sibongile Manana, who tried to frustrate provision of treatment to people with HIV, the temptation exists to damn them all.

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/ 24 January 2008

ANC replaces chief whip

African National Congress (ANC) parliamentary Chief Whip Isaac Mogase was on Wednesday removed from his position by the party’s new leadership. Briefing reporters after the party’s caucus met at Parliament, ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said Mogase would be replaced by ANC MP Nathi Mthethwa.

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/ 16 January 2008

Ngonyama gets ready to ‘move on with life’

The African National Congress’s (ANC) outgoing head of the Presidency and communications, Smuts Ngonyama, said on Wednesday he would continue doing work for the party, but in a lower profile. ”It’s more or less 10 years that I have been in this role and I accept that I have to move on with life and look at other challenges,” he said.

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/ 12 January 2008

All eyes on Zuma at ANC anniversary

New African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma will make his first keynote speech on Saturday, since taking over the party leadership from President Thabo Mbeki. His speech will form part of celebrations for the 96th anniversary of the party. The anniversary rally will take place at the Super Stadium in Atteridgeville, Pretoria.

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/ 19 December 2007

Gender parity plan in trouble

An attempt to get the principle of gender parity elevated to the top structures of the ANC was trounced on Monday night, the Mail & Guardian has learned.
The policy, also known as the 50/50 principle, is a steep change in empowerment in the ANC and requires that every alternative position available for leadership be reserved for a female candidate.

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/ 18 December 2007

Watch this man

”Comrade Motlanthe, sabela uya-bizwa,”sang delegates at the conference on Sunday. ”Comrade Motlanthe, you are being called to service!” Kgalema Motlanthe has been portrayed by both camps as the indecisive, weak link in the ANC infighting.

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/ 17 December 2007

Rebellion at Polokwane

It was open rebellion as the African National Congress began its 52nd national conference. Traditions of the movement, almost 100 years old, were thrown out as the majority of the more than 4 000 delegates made clear their support for the candidacy of deputy president Jacob Zuma to the top job.

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/ 16 December 2007

ANC elections running late

The first day of the African National Congress’s (ANC) Polokwane conference ended abruptly just after 9.30pm on Sunday, without dealing with nominations for the party leadership. ANC national chairperson Mosiuoa Lekota told delegates to come back on Monday, explaining there were ”a few details” the national executive committee wanted to tie up.

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/ 16 December 2007

Motlanthe on the Mbeki-Zuma rift

African National Congress (ANC) secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe’s organisational report, delivered on Sunday at the party’s national conference in Polokwane — was the first comprehensive admission from a party leader that the factionalism in the party was a result of a power struggle between two personalities: Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma.

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/ 7 December 2007

Skweyiya regrets publication of Lekota letter

”Unfortunate and regrettable” was how Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya on Friday described the publication of a letter in which he criticised Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota. ”I wish to state that the letter was intended for internal discussion within the African National Congress, and not for public consumption,” he said.

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/ 6 December 2007

Vavi says no to ANC NEC nomination

Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi will not accept a nomination to the national executive committee (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC), Cosatu said on Thursday. Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven said the congress was seriously concerned about leaders who embraced ”patronage”.

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/ 23 November 2007

ANCYL throws weight behind Zuma

The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has thrown its weight behind Jacob Zuma for president of the ANC, with current president Thabo Mbeki not featuring on its list of 66 nominations released in Johannesburg on Friday. ”We didn’t support him [Mbeki] for president of the ANC,” said ANCYL president Fikile Mbalula.

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/ 18 November 2007

Chikane warns of criminals in state structures

Criminals have infiltrated sensitive state structures, including security agencies, and ex-agents and ”comrades” were playing the system, a media quoted Reverend Frank Chikane as saying on Sunday. He also said that no ”political faction of any nature” could be allowed to use the levers of state to achieve its own narrow interests.

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/ 26 October 2007

Cosatu says there’s no ANC wish list

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has not compiled a ”wish list” of candidates for the national executive committee of the African National Congress (ANC). This follows the Mail and Guardian publishing a list on Friday that it said named the 57 people Cosatu wanted as ANC leaders.

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/ 11 October 2007

ANC meet: No room at the inn

Polokwane will be a busy town come December with an expected 4 500 delegates, both voting and non-voting, attending the African National Congress’s (ANC) 52nd national conference. Smuts Ngonyama, head of the presidency of the ANC, on Thursday updated the media in Johannesburg on preparations for the conference.