Hout Bay ANC supports Ramaphosa

THE ANC’s Hout Bay branch has endorsed the party’s deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, for its next president.

For the party’s top six, it nominated Lindiwe Sisulu as deputy president, Jessie Duarte as secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula as deputy secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe as chairperson and Pravin Gordhan as the treasurergeneral.

Branch chairperson Khaya Ngcelwane said the decision was taken at a meeting on Thursday.

“When the branch takes a decision it is a decision of the will of the members. We don’t allow influences from outside the branch. Those names are the will from the branch members,” said Ngcelwane.

The branch, which had staunchly supported President Jacob Zuma in the past, had been expected to endorse ANC presidential hopeful Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

Asked why they endorsed Ramaphosa as the next president, Ngcelwane said: “We wanted the people to prevail. We chose those leaders based on their track record and considered their personality.”

He added that branch members tried by all means not to be involved in any factionalism within the party.

“We don’t support any factionalism. We will continue to elect people according to work they do for the organisation and their abilities,” he said.

Ngcelwane said the numbers of branches that nominate a candidate will determine

We will continue to elect people according to the work they do

the provinces decision.

“What the branches have decided will not be tampered with,” he said.

Ngcelwane said he was looking forward to attending the elective conference in December as it would be his first time representing the branch at a national level.

“For the party to go back to its former glory it must respect the will of the people,” he said.

A former unionistturned-businessman, Ramaphosa is largely supported by the ANC’s alliance partners, the SA Communist Party and trade union federation Cosatu, some of whose members double as ANC members.

Provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs said about half of all branches in the province had submitted their preferred leaders for the national conference in December.

He said the provincial leadership would conclude its audits on time before submitting them to the national leadership.