EC ANC youth want Nosiviwe in party top 6
Mapisa-Nqakula up for chairwoman
THE ANC Youth League in the Eastern Cape has resolved to lobby the league’s national executive committee (NEC) to include Mdantsaneraised Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for the position of ANC national chairwoman.
The NEC did not propose any Eastern Cape names for the top six for when the party elects its new leadership in December.
This was said by ANCYL provincial task team (PTT) convener Ntombikayise Mnyengeza after the PTT’s meeting last Sunday.
She said Mapisa-Nqakula was a cadre who had “earned her stripes”.
According to Mnyengeza, the PTT was of the view that Mapisa-Nqakula’s experience in party politics and government should not go to waste.
Instead, she should play a bigger role among the top six officials of the party.
It remains to be seen if the PTT can persuade the NEC to dump its preferred candidate for the position, Nathi Mthethwa, for Mapisa-Nqakula.
The league’s national bosses have resolved to campaign for former African Union chairwoman Nkosazana DlaminiZuma for the position of ANC president. The rest of their slate includes Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza as her deputy, Free State premier Ace Magashule as secretarygeneral, incumbent Jessie Duarte to remain as deputy secretary-general and Maite NkoanaMashabane to be treasurer-general.
They had also proposed that the position of a second deputy generalsecretary be created and filled by Fikile Mbalula.
But the PTT says it will lobby the national body and other ANC structures to consider Mapisa-Nqakula instead, as they believe she deserved promotion.
“The PTT supports the view of the ANCYL NEC on the issue of proposed officials ahead of the December conference.
“But the PTT is of the view that there is room to lobby our national and other structures of the movement to consider cadre Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula,” said Mnyengeza.
“We are saying this understanding cadre Mapisa-Nqakula’s political credentials and everyone knows that she is one of the finest products of our revolution.
“She is one of the resilient women that the ANC has produced therefore we strongly believe she cannot be left out of the national officials at the December conference,” she added.
Mapisa-Nqakula’s political record is well documented, having been the president of the ANC Women’s League and one of the longest-serving senior leaders of the governing party’s NEC.
The PTT also believes Mapisa-Nqakula had excelled in her government job.
“In the Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans, where she was deployed by President Jacob Zuma, there is evidence of stability and sanity which speaks to Minister Mapisa-Nqakula’s sound and solid leadership,” said Mnyengeza.