Mancotywa on ANC nominations list
Outgoing NHC chief executive doesn’t rule out comeback in politics
Outgoing National Heritage Council CEO Sonwabile Mancotywa could be making a comeback into active politics as he appears in the ANC Gauteng branch nominations list for public representatives.
The province convened its list conference on Wednesday, discussed it, and voted for the candidates that have been nominated by the branches.
Although the final list was not yet out late on Wednesday, Mthatha-born Mancotywa appeared at number 15 on the province-to-national list of nominated candidates by Gauteng branches.
He has also cropped up on the party’s national-to-national list, which is yet to be finally consolidated.
Mancotywa has rich experience in government.
He was elected to served in the first democratic legislature of the Eastern Cape in 1994 as the youngest MPL at the age of 25. He was the first MPL to chair the standing committee on youth affairs.
He was appointed by then Eastern Cape premier Raymond Mhlaba to serve as MEC in his office responsible for youth, gender and development planning in 1996.
In 1997 he was appointed the first MEC of sport, recreation, arts and culture by then premier Reverend Makhenkesi Stofile until 2000.
He left the province after a stint chairing the standing committee on education.
He worked for the department of trade and industry as a general manager for business regulation, where he was responsible for the establishment of the national lottery and gambling and liquor regulation.
He is credited with having initiated and led the liberation route project, which has now been adopted by Unesco and the SA cabinet, among other projects under the NHC.
Mancotywa is also an admitted advocate of the supreme court, having being admitted in 2003. He is now serving his third and final term as CEO of the NHC, and his contract expires in July 2019.
Commenting on his possible comeback, Mancotywa said even though he will be pursuing his doctoral studies on heritage he will honour calls by the ANC to serve in government.
“As to the nomination in the list, yes I have received calls here in Gauteng and other provinces but I have not been formally informed about anything.
“If that happens, of course its always an honour to serve the nation,” he said.
ANC provincial structures are busy convening list conferences choosing candidates to represent the party in provincial legislatures and the national assembly, ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The ANC in the Eastern Cape held its list conference on Sunday at the East London city hall and the outcomes of the conference were expected to be tabled in a special PEC meeting on Wednesday.
ANC structures and alliance partners for their preferred candidates to represent the party in the public office.