Votes for Modise, Phumzile not enough for top 6
ANCWL ‘same level as branch’
Being nominated by an ANC league is equal to being nominated by one branch.
This explains why despite topping the list of ANC leagues, the names of Thandi Modise from the Women’s League and former deputy president Phumzile MlamboNgcuka did not make the final top six list ahead of the party’s conference in a few weeks.
Modise was nominated by the ANC Women’s League for deputy president while Mlambo-Ngcuka also secured an endorsement from the
ANC Veterans League to reprise her role as the secondin-command.
However, due to the league ’ s interim status, instead of their endorsements holding weight, their nominations are the equivalent to that of one branch.
Meanwhile, the ANC Youth League nominated former health minister Zweli Mkhize, who managed to secure a spot on the ballot paper ahead of the conference. Mkhize will face incumbent president Cyril Ramaphosa, who is leading in nominations from branches.
Speaking at a media briefing where he announced the top six candidates, ANC elections committee head, former president Kgalema Motlanthe, said the easy way in which the leagues nominated disadvantaged their nominees in the sense that they did not have votes from branches.
“You have a situation where the leagues are led by task teams [and] we’ve had to go through the same process the ANC structures went through.
“They would’ve had to convene quorating branch general meetings to do two things, the nominations as well as election of delegates to conference.
“Given the status of the leagues now, they didn’t go through that process and, ordinarily, it would’ve meant the national position which is consolidated would then be treated or given the same weight of a province,” Motlanthe said.
According to the ANC’s constitution, to qualify to be on a ballot paper for a position of officials, successful nominees must be nominated by at least one province, which means that qualifying candidates must have received the highest number of nominations in any particular province.