Limpopo nominates Kgalema Motlanthe
2012-12-06 12:01
Polokwane - The Limpopo ANC nominated Deputy President
Kgalema Motlanthe for the ANC presidency at its provincial conference on
Thursday.
Motlanthe won with 268 votes, while President Jacob Zuma
secured seven.
A small group of delegates chanted in celebration: "We
don't like Zuma, he fired ANCYL [ANC Youth League] president Julius
Malema".
Malema hails from Seshego in Limpopo.
Current ANC treasurer Mathews Phosa was nominated for the
deputy presidency and Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula to take over from Gwede
Mantashe as secretary general.
Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale was nominated for
treasurer, North West Premier Thandi Modise for national chairperson and
Thenjiwe Mtintso - a former deputy secretary for the ANC - was again nominated
for that position.
The media was told to leave the conference shortly after the
nominations were announced.
Zuma supporters walk out
Supporters of Motlanthe started the nomination conference in
Polokwane on Thursday morning, after a rival group walked out claiming bogus
delegates had been deployed to vote.
Zuma supporters walked out just after 06:00 and were not
participating in the nomination process to elect the preferred top six
candidates.
Zuma supporters claimed the conference did not verify the
credibility of delegates.
Some delegates, who did not want to be named, complained
that when they went to register, they discovered that unknown delegates had
signed under their names and collected accreditation.
The conference was delayed on Wednesday because of a meeting
between national executive committee [NEC] members and provincial executive
members over lingering disputes.
On Wednesday evening, two men were arrested when people
tried to force their way into the ANC's nomination conference, Limpopo police
said. The conference was postponed on Friday night when a group wearing
T-shirts with President Jacob Zuma's face printed on them disrupted
proceedings, forcing delegates to flee the venue, spokesperson Makonde Mathivha
said at the time.
The ANC's NEC decided on Monday to allow Limpopo, along with
the Western Cape more time to conclude their nomination conferences.
The Western Cape ANC also nominated Motlanthe on Thursday
morning.
The official deadline for the provincial nominations was
originally November 30.
The provincial nomination conference allows ANC members to
nominate their preferred candidates for the party's leadership, to be elected
at the national conference in Mangaung later this month.
- SAPA
