Ramaphosa wins by narrow margin
Beats rival Dlamini Zuma by just 179 votes
ONE hundred and seventy nine votes. In the end that was the number that separated new ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa from his rival Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
The official tally was 2 261 votes for Dlamini Zuma and 2 440 for Ramaphosa. It was a close victory but in the end it was Ramaphosa who was called to the podium to take his place as president of the ANC, 23 years after he had been overlooked for the role of deputy president of the country.
Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza was elected deputy president with 2 538 votes; former secretary-general Gwede Mantashe was elected national chairman with 2 418 votes; Ace Magashule was elected secretary-general with 2 360 votes; Jessie Duarte retained her deputy secretary-general position with 2 470 votes and Paul Mashatile was elected treasurer-general with 2 517 votes. Ramaphosa founded the National Union of Mineworkers and was instrumental in negotiating the hand-over from white minority rule to a democratic era.
Dlamini Zuma is a former Health, Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs Minister. She is also a former chairperson of the AU Commission.
In the months before the elective conference both candidates presented their campaign agendas – Ramaphosa had his “new deal” and Dlamini Zuma pushed for “radical economic transformation”.
The day before the conference started two provincial executive committees – the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal – were told by the party’s national executive committee that they would have to abide by court judgments and not play a voting role at the conference.
On Saturday President Jacob Zuma announced free education for those whose families earned less than R350 000.
On Sunday, the credentials process was a smooth one and by late afternoon those who had been nominated for the Top 6 had been announced. Outgoing treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize, who had campaigned long and hard for the position of president, told delegates he would decline nomination for deputy president.
Voting started at midnight yesterday and finished by midday.
Yesterday also marked the last press conference of outgoing secretary-general Mantashe who was asked about his relationship with Zuma.
He said: “You can have a problem with President Zuma, but you can never have a problem with his ability to talk to the masses. That is a rare gift. Very critical for the ANC.”