Leadership elections to be held for ANC, DA in strategic Eastern Cape
THE ANC and DA are expected to elect new leaders for the strategic Eastern Cape before June this year.
The ruling party’s succession battle was considered a twohorse race between incumbent ANC provincial chairperson and Premier Phumulo Masualle and provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane, until Nelson Mandela Bay businessman Nceba Faku threw his hat in the ring.
Faku is former ANC regional chairperson and the first black mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, now under the DA administration led by mayor Athol Trollip.
The upcoming conference is critical as the newly-elected leadership would determine which candidate the largely rural province backs to succeed President Jacob Zuma when he steps down as ANC leader in December.
Faku, who is no stranger to controversy, criticised Zuma’s leadership of the country in a series of Facebook posts in November, saying South Africa was in “a national crisis” under his rule.
The ANC veteran has been quoted as saying he didn’t want to only change leadership, but to also “bring back the values and traditions of the ANC. That is the change we want in the ANC”.
Meanwhile, the race for who will succeed Trollip as DA Eastern Cape leader has intensified after Nelson Mandela Bay’s human settlements boss, Nqaba Bhanga, and DA Eastern Cape chairperson Veliswa Mvenya confirmed their candidatures.
Yesterday, Bhanga, a former Cope and DA MP, said his campaign to take over as provincial leader during the elective conference in East London next month was gaining traction.
“It’s going very well. The campaign is about the DA winning the Eastern Cape in 2019. I want to lead that campaign,” he said.
Bhanga dismissed allegations he was working with former Eastern Cape premier Nosimo Balindlela, who is now a DA MP, in his campaign. They are both former DA MPs.
“There’s no such thing. But I will gladly work with anyone who endorses my candidature. In fact, it will be a major boost to have her (Balindlela) supporting my campaign. She’s a well-respected personality in the struggle.”
Bhanga’s camp includes DA councillor Andrew Whitfield, who is set to contest for the provincial chairperson’s post currently held by Mvenya.
“We are confident that Whitfield and I are going to give the ANC a hiding in 2019. We are both young and clear about taking over the province from the ANC in 2019.”
The pair wanted to “entrench” the DA among rural voters and university students. “We will use Nelson Mandela Bay as a model of what good governance is about. Trollip is rooting out corruption in the metro. We want to bring change that works.”
Mvenya said her campaign was also doing well.
A former teacher credited for establishing DA structures in the most far-flung rural areas of the province, she said: “I’m ready to lead, I have no reason not to be.”