- After being dropped by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s renew22 campaign, ANC Limpopo Chairman Stan Mathabatha has endorsed Zweli Mkhize in the presidential race.
- Mathabatha addressed a caucus meeting held by the Mkhize field where the delegate count was held on Sunday afternoon.
- In his speech, Mathabatha said that the faction was in a fight for the soul of the ANC and should move on.
Zweli Mkhize’s push to be elected ANC chairman received a boost on Sunday when ANC Limpopo Chairman Stan Mathabatha openly endorsed him during a final delegate count.
This when the Mkhize camp embraced Mathabatha as their candidate for the ANC national chairman job, while President Cyril Ramaphosa’s allies insisted they would support Gwede Mantashe.
In what is being described as the “politics of reciprocity”, the ANC delegation in Gauteng saw a large section of the delegates join Mkhize’s ranks behind the backs of his allies who support Paul Mashatile for party vice-president.
ANC Gauteng heavyweight Lebogang Maile said a large contingent of Gauteng delegates abandoned a push for Ramaphosa to win a second term, because his allies chose not to support his preferred candidate for his second-in-command, Mashatile.
Delegates from across the country lined up as voting began on Sunday as leaders from several provinces addressed delegates outside the Nasrec conference venue.
At the same time, the ANC leaders who failed to make it to the ANC presidential ticket, Lindiwe Sisulu and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, supported Mkhize.
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Mkhize’s lobbyists said they believed the surge in support for the former Limpopo and Gauteng health minister was detrimental to Ramaphosa.
Mathabatha went against a directive from his provincial executive committee (PEC) to support Ramaphosa.
The Limpopo ANC chairman attended a count event held by the Mkhize camp on Sunday afternoon as delegates were expected to start voting later that day.
Addressing the meeting, which was also attended by members of the anti-Ramaphosa party including Bathabile Dlamini and Phumulo Masualle, Mathabatha urged the Mkhize camp to keep fighting.
“Comrades, we are going to fight this battle; we will fight it because it is a good war. It is a good war because we are fighting for the soul of the ANC,” Mathabatha said to cheers from the crowd.
Mathabatha’s public endorsement of Mkhize came as the ANC in Limpopo issued a statement on Sunday distancing itself from leaders making statements in support of Mkhize despite the fact that the province’s general council had come out in support of Ramaphosa. .
In a last-ditch attempt to crack the whip on the province’s part, it sent out a statement on Sunday saying: “The ANC in Limpopo PEC have noted some statements circulating on various media platforms which created an unfortunate impression that we have defected the results of a general branch meeting.”
This after Limpopo ANC deputy chairwoman Florence Radzilani said the province had abandoned Ramaphosa.
He added that the reason was that the people of Ramaphosa had shunned them and were not accommodating to those who were not part of their faction.
Following Radzilani’s remarks on Saturday, the Limpopo PEC distanced itself from his comments.
“At no time did the ANC Limpopo PEC meet and decide to leave Ramaphosa,” a statement read.
The province reiterated that it “stands by its decision and supports the results of the Limpopo branch general meetings, which affirmed Cyril Ramaphosa for President, Paul Mashatile for Vice President, Mdumiseni Ntuli for Secretary General, Nomvula Mokonyane for Vice Secretary, Bejani Chauke for Treasurer. and Mathabatha for president.
Mathabatha’s outright support for Mkhize comes after Ramaphosa’s camp instructed its supporters on Sunday to vote for Gwede Mantashe as national president.
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A part of the ANC in Gauteng has supported presidential candidate Zweli Mkhize.
“There are provinces that supported our candidates and we support their candidates. We made the decision as a provincial executive committee to support President Ramaphosa, but there is a condition for it.
“There is a condition that they support our candidate, comrade Paul Mashatile and Nomvula Mokonyane. Unfortunately, the candidates who support President Ramaphosa do not support our candidates,” Maile told News24.
Mashatile, the outgoing ANC treasurer general, is up against Oscar Mabuyane and Ronald Lamola.
According to Maile, the ANC must remain focused on the issues that affect the country after the conference is over.
“After this conference, we still have an organization and a province to run. The most important thing is that we have to solve the problems of our people. There is poverty, unemployment, loss of cargo.
“If we’re not able to mature and properly manage leadership preferences, we’re going to stay in the bad state we’re in. I don’t think we want that.”
