Ministers’ failure to make NEC list puts cabinet jobs in jeopardy
● Six cabinet ministers have become ordinary ANC members after they failed to retain their seats on the party’s powerful national executive committee.
This means that the ministers have lost influence in the party and could become targets should Luthuli House instruct President Jacob Zuma to make changes to his executive.
The ministers who did not make it back onto the 86-member NEC are Ayanda Dlodlo (home affairs), Thulas Nxesi (sport), Lynne Brown (public enterprises), Gugile Nkwinti (land reform), Rob Davies (trade and industry) and Senzeni Zokwana (agriculture, forestry and fisheries). Brown and Davies declined nomination.
This has prompted speculation that they could soon lose their jobs if Zuma were ordered to reshuffle his cabinet following the ANC elective conference.
Polokwane resolution
This is based on an ANC resolution adopted at Polokwane 10 years ago that senior positions in the executive and other strategic centres of power, such as parliament, should be occupied by NEC members to ensure the effective implementation of party policy.
A member of the NEC sympathetic to those who are likely to lose their positions, said there were several reasons that led to some ministers not returning to the NEC.
The ANC insider said there were about 400 delegates who did not take part in the voting after apparently losing patience with the long voting process, which started on Tuesday and ended late on Wednesday.
“Some of the delegates who would have tilted the votes in favour of some of those good comrades [the ministers] left before voting could end because it was just taking too long.
“They lost patience due to the logistical nightmare,” the insider said.
Another insider said the issue of ensuring gender parity and accommodating more youthful ANC members in the NEC also had to be taken into account.
Also missing from the list was SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande, former transport minister S’bu Ndebele, South African ambassador to Germany Stone Sizani, and former unionist and ANC MP Fikile Majola.
Zuma’s staunch supporters Kebby Maphatsoe, president of the Umkhonto WeSizwe Military Veterans Association, and disgraced former MEC of housing in Gauteng Humphrey Mmemezi also failed to make the cut.
The ANC has elected some first-time NEC members who are female and young.
Also included are ANC Youth League president Collen Maine, former Limpopo finance MEC David Masondo, former youth league deputy president Ronald Lamola, Zingiswa Losi from Cosatu, Communications Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi and her deputy, Tandi Mahambehlala.