Race for W Cape ANC’s top job begins
Some are canvassing, despite the hiccups in party processes
WHILE candidates for the ANC Western Cape’s top job have been canvassing for votes, their provincial general council meeting has been delayed yet again and will “probably” take place only in August.
The ANC’s Western Cape secretary, Faiez Jacobs, said there had been delays with regional conferences and an online membership system, after announcing earlier this month that the province would have an ANC leader by the end of July.
“We are working on those regions that have proved to be a challenge. We are pushing ahead with the Overberg and West Coast regions to have their conferences this coming weekend . Once those are sorted, we are looking to the other regions,” he said.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the ANC’s provincial land summit in Stellenbosch at the weekend.
Jacobs said their provincial executive met at the weekend to discuss a roadmap for the regional conferences.
There are hiccups in the Boland and Dullah Omar regions, he conceded.
Jacobs said the election of a provincial chairperson would “probably” be concluded only at the end of August.
“We will have to ensure that this gets done soon, because by September 1 we need to start with our nominations for the Western Cape Legislature and Parliament.
“In around October/November, we also need to have our premier candidate ready for campaigning. The premier candidate is normally the chairperson. It could also be someone whom the structures favour, but normally it is the chairperson,” he said.
The names of Cameron Dugmore, ANC MPL; Sammy Claasen, ANC spokesperson for the party’s West Coast region; and Deputy Police Minister Bongani Mkongi have been nominated unofficially by members to contest the top job.
Shaun Byneveldt, former speaker in the
DESPITE THE DELAY, WE SHOULD HAVE A LEADER FOR THE PROVINCE BY THE END OF AUGUST. IT’S USUALLY THE CHAIRPERSON
Western Cape Legislature has also been punted as a candidate. Another candidate for the top job is Nokuthula Nqaba.
Former provincial chairperson Marius Fransman was suspended from the ANC for five years following a sexual harassment complaint by a 21-year-old Stellenbosch woman.
Dugmore, one of the frontrunners in the race, has started his own website and has been on the campaign trail in several parts of the province.
Dugmore’s marketing pamphlets read: “Cameron Dugmore stands for unity, renewal and rebuilding of the ANC Western Cape and a return to the values of Mandela and Tambo.
“He stands for a strong and effective movement that leads the people in the fundamental transformation of the economy and society,” it stated.
Although Byneveldt is yet to confirm his candidature, the Cape Argus is possession of Byneveldt’s message to delegates, which addressed the “genuine revolutionaries”.