Western Cape ANC concludes conference

2012-12-06 14:38

Kgalema Motlanthe

Cape Town - The Western Cape ANC nomination conference concluded its business by noon on Thursday with most delegates supporting a change in ruling party leadership.

The Western Cape ANC's top six nominees were:

- President: Kgalema Motlanthe;

- Deputy president: Matthews Phosa;

- Secretary general: Fikile Mbalula;

- Deputy secretary: General Thandi Modise;

- Treasurer general: Tokyo Sexwale; and

- Chairperson: Thenji Mtintso.

Calls for change

ANC provincial chairperson Marius Fransman said those calling for change gained the vote by a slight margin.

Motlanthe got 99 votes to Jacob Zuma's 90.

"We know that as supporters of President Zuma we are taking votes to what I believe is an already 2 370 votes being taken into the national process," said Fransman.

He believed the Western Cape's 90 votes for Zuma would help the president win a second term at Mangaung, where a total of 4 500 delegates were expected to cast their ballots.

Provincial ANC secretary Songezo Mjongile, a Motlanthe supporter, had a different interpretation of how the Western Cape vote would affect Mangaung.

Asked whether the endorsement would sway Motlanthe to accept nomination, he said: "Of course every nomination counts, so of course it would boost that."

Mbalula was the only other nominee who gained an outright majority in the first vote.

Delegates had to rerun the voting process for the rest of the ANC "top six" as none had initially gained an outright majority.

Mbalula got 96 votes against current secretary general Gwede Mantashe's 85.

The vote margins for the other candidates were not immediately disclosed, but would be made available later.

Branch members approved a list for the further 80 members to be nominated for the National Executive Committee.

- SAPA