ANC leadership race in W Cape under way
Party secretary confirms Dyanti and Mkongi in the running
FORMER Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool and his nemesis Mcebisi Skwatsha’s names have been punted among the frontrunners to lead the party in the province. ANC provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs said their names have been put forward along with ANC MPL Richard Dyanti and Deputy Police Minister Bongani Mkongi.
“We don’t want to speculate about the leadership race at this stage. We have just concluded the national conference and now we are focusing on the renewal of our party here in the Western Cape.
“But I can confirm that these two individuals (Dyanti and Mkongi) are in the running,” he said.
The names of Cameron Dugmore, ANC MPL in the Legislature; Sammy Claasen, ANC spokesperson for the party’s West Coast region have also been mentioned.
The ANC in the province will be holding a provincial general council (PGC) meeting to elect a new chairperson.
Former provincial chairperson Marius Fransman was axed from the ANC for five years after a sexual harassment complaint by a 21-year-old Stellenbosch woman.
Jacobs said the provincial general council will be held in May.
“There has been a vacancy with the leadership in our province. Many members have called for an early conference to be held so that we can sort out our top structure.
“But we need to finalise the regional councils because their terms have also come to an end,” he said.
“Without planned conferences we are also hoping to renew and rebuild the ANC. We will be doing so from the bottom up and getting our activists to work the ground. That is our plan.
“Our conferences are not open yet and the nomination process has not started but we are allowing people to make their respective choices,” he said.
Current chairperson Khaya Magaxa took over from Fransman and is expected to step down later this year.
Rasool and Skwatsha were pivotal in campaigning for ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa during last year’s elective conference. ANC insiders said Zuma’s backers would want Mkongi, who enjoys strong support in the Dullah Omar region. The Western Cape ANC is due to hold its provincial conference next year where it will elect a permanent chairperson at a provincial general council in May, after which its candidate for premier will be announced.
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa will officially launch the provincial election campaign on Sunday at a special event at the Grand Parade to launc the ANC’s Nelson Mandela centenary celebrations.