ANC women back Ramaphosa as party nominations close

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The ANC Women’s League has again backed a man as party president. Its national task team has nominated the incumbent, Cyril Ramaphosa, for a second term to run the governing party.

The league’s national task team chose Ramaphosa by an overwhelming 52 votes to the seven cast for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and the five for disgraced former health minister Zweli Mkhize.

One member of the task team, which has been running the ANC Youth League since the term of office of its elected leadership expired, abstained in the crucial vote.

None of the other would-be presidential contenders — Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, Mamelodi Sundowns owner Patrice Motsepe or deputy president David Mabuza — made the ballot.

The nomination is another boost for Ramaphosa, who appears to be ahead of the other contenders in the nominations, which closed on Monday, despite the youth league’s national task team backing his major rival, Mkhize, for the presidency.

It is a setback for Mkhize, who narrowly beat Ramaphosa by 19 votes to 16 in securing the youth league’s backing, and Dlamini-Zuma, who got only four votes from the youth. 

The women’s league task team also nominated the minister of defence, Thandi Modise to stand as Ramaphosa’s deputy at the party’s national elective conference at Nasrec in Johannesburg on 16 December.

Modise received 43 votes, ahead of ANC treasurer general Paul Mashatile’s 17, while Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi got four and Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, three. 

One task team member spoiled their vote and another abstained.

The party’s national chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, emerged as the women’s league’s choice to again stand as chairperson, with 41 votes ahead of Limpopo Premier Stanley Mathabatha, who received 19, while Fikile Mbalula got the nod as secretary general with 39 votes over Phumulo Masuelle, who received 10. 

Febe Potgieter, the ANC’s head of operations, was the women’s league’s choice as deputy secretary general, receiving 46 votes ahead of the 16 cast for the party’s head of organising, Nomvula Mokonyane.

Gwen Ramakgopa, the former Gauteng health MEC and the coordinator in the ANC secretary general’s office, was the overwhelming choice as treasurer, garnering 52 votes to the nine cast for Mpumalanga’s deputy provincial secretary  Lindiwe Ntshalinishali.

The women’s league is expected to address the media on its choices on Tuesday, as is the ANC’s KwaZulu-Natal’s leadership, which has previously named Mkhize as its choice as party president come December.