Mahumapelo: No triumphalism for the victors
ONE of Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma’s most ardent supporters, North West ANC chairperson Supra Mahumapelo, has implored both her supporters and those of her main rival, Cyril Ramaphosa, to accept the possibility of defeat when results are announced.
Speaking to journalists before the party’s plenary session, on Day 2 of its elective conference, Mahumapelo warned against triumphalism, adding that both Dlamini Zuma and party deputy president Ramaphosa had expressed a commitment to work with whoever was elected as party leader.
Late on Saturday the conference ground to a halt over the adoption of branch credentials, with the number of voting delegates reduced from 5 186 to 4 776, as branches failed the ANC’s three-step verification process.
And despite the predictions that the ANC’s 54th elective conference would collapse without an outcome due to the nature of the contestation, Mahumapelo said things had generally run smoothly.
“There are people who said this conference would collapse, others were saying that we’re going to throw each other with chairs, that we’re going to stab each other with knives, fist fighting, the credentials would not be adopted, (President Jacob) Zuma would be booed, conference might be interdicted. None of those has happened,” said Mahumapelo.
He said the party’s leaders rose to the occasion, and the provincial chairpersons met and had “consistent discussions” to thwart “every element of risk” which could collapse the conference.
“We’ve been talking to the delegates around their conduct, even this morning we were addressing delegates.
“Everything went very smoothly, everything until Wednesday (when conference closes),” said Mahumapelo.
While both sets of supporters were expressing confidence that their preferred candidate would win, Mahumapelo warned that the vanquished should not abandon the conference after the results were announced.
“The revolution continues, but those who have made it when election results are announced must work with everybody, unite the organisation,” said Mahumapelo.
He echoed fellow NEC member Lindiwe Zulu, who admitted that divisions in the ANC were caused by contestation.
She said there needed to be political education in the party to deal with some of the issues.
“There is something called political education, which has not been (what) it should be.
“Once somebody emerges, everyone should rally behind the new leader.
“Political education should ground us that we should rally behind the leader,” said Zulu.
Mahumapelo said that this elective conference of the ANC was different from the previous ones in Mangaung and Polokwane, and that the meeting at Nasrec had exemplified unity.
And while the credentials process had knocked the wind out of the sails of Dlamini Zuma’s camp, Mahumapelo said he was confident she would emerge victorious when the results were announced.
“Comrade Nkosazana is going to be the president.
“We have already spoken to her about not being triumphalist, we have already spoken to Comrade Cyril... the two of them, their approach is the same, to extend a hand,” said Mahumapelo.
He said his provincial executive had volunteered to exclude 52 delegates from the North West who were barred from voting at the conference through a court challenge.
“The numbers were just too huge to worry on the side of Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma,” said Mahumapelo.
He reiterated that branch nominations in which Ramaphosa won the majority were not equivalent to number of branch delegates, with some branches sending up to nine delegates while a single nomination had been recorded.
Ahead of the conference, a special meeting of the ANC’s national executive committee shot down a proposal that voting for the party’s Top Six be staggered.
This had been championed by outgoing secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, to blunt the effect of slate voting.
“From logistics perspective it’s not making sense, from conventions perspective of the ANC – a movement that is 105 years old, it doesn’t make sense.
“So we said to them, go and think carefully, you’ve got the next four years to think and we’ll see in the next conference,” said Mahumapelo.
Those who have made it when election results are announced must work with everybody